When the secret military documents stolen by former Army private Chelsea Manning were released by WikiLeaks, the official position of the Pentagon was that Manning’s illegal actions had endangered the lives of American soldiers.
“The truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in 2010.
Shortly after President Obama commuted the balance of Manning’s 35-year prison sentence, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked officials at the CIA if the spy agency had been consulted by the White House or if director John Brennan supported the president’s actions.
The CIA declined to comment.
Senator Joe Manchin, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence didn’t hesitate to speak out against the president’s decision. When asked how the intelligence community would react, Manchin said:
The West Virginia Democrat made the comments while appearing on MSNBC with Chuck Todd.
