Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer
One of America's best-known whistleblowers of the past decade says Bradley Manning should not be prosecuted for allegedly releasing documents to WikiLeaks that revealed U.S. military misconduct.
Meanwhile, a former Reagan-administration official says he would not be surprised if the CIA assassinates WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Has America's moral compass gone completely haywire, and will the Obama administration even attempt to get it back on track?
Jill Simpson, an Alabama attorney who blew the whistle on a Republican plot to prosecute former Democratic Governor Don Siegelman, says the government's treatment of Manning is a threat to our democracy. Simpson is particularly alarmed by yesterday's news that the U.S. Army has added 22 charges against Manning, including "aiding the enemy."
This news, Simpson says, has profound implications for anyone who might reveal governmental wrongdoing:
The U.S. military has charged Bradley Manning with aiding the enemy, which is a crime you can get the death penalty for--all because he released videos and cables that showed our government had lied to us, the American citizens.
This young man clearly suffers from a war-related mental health condition called moral injury, and he should never be tried. He was asked by our government to do something against his morals, which was to lie to the American people and participate in murder of civilians. Our troops daily are put into situations where they have to choose between morals or murder. Bradley Manning chose to possibly get the death penalty in order to see the truth is told. He is an American hero, make no mistake about it.
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