American national security was not as severely damaged as was reported after former Army private Chelsea Manning’s released the largest-ever number of classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, according to a six-year-old report about the incident that was published Tuesday.
A 107-page Defense Department report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, indicates the leaked information was “largely insignificant and did not cause any real harm to U.S. interests,” a recipient of the study concluded.
Only half of the report was shared though it was enough to arrive at a conclusion. Approximately 20 federal agencies’ pored over every line of leaked information – a total of 740,000 pages of classified information.
The June 15, 2011, report found “with high confidence that disclosure of the Iraq data set will have no direct personal impact on current and former U.S. leadership in Iraq,” according to Buzzfeed.
The report does state how details of previously undisclosed civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were leaked. That information “could be used by the press or our adversaries to negatively impact support for current operations in the region.”
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had threatened to release an “insurance file” of additional classified information. However, the newly-obtained report maintained he likely did not have any other information.
Former President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence before leaving office.
