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It's no pardon, but it will do:
President Obama has put Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified material, on his short list for a possible commutation, a Justice Department source told NBC News. A decision could come [...] for Manning, who has tried to commit suicide twice this year and went on a hunger strike in a bid for gender reassignment surgery.
"I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced," Manning's aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News.
[...] Manning's supporters believe the harshness of the sentence can be traced to another leaker; the scandal around former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was erupting around the same time. "I really believe the judge felt she needed to send some sort of message," the aunt said. "I think in a way she was a scapegoat for Edward Snowden." Snowden, who has asked Obama for clemency, tweeted his support of Manning shortly after NBC News' report about the commutation decision aired on TODAY on Wednesday morning.
Four former and current Army intelligence officers told NBC News the documents leaked by Manning pale in significance to highly classified top secret material released by Snowden. The officers, who would not allow their names to be used, said the Manning sentence seems excessive.
Also at The Hill.
Time magazine adds:
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will agree to be extradited to the U.S. if President Obama grants whistle-blower Chelsea Manning clemency before his term ends on Jan. 20, the organization has said.
In a tweet posted on the group's official account Thursday, WikiLeaks said Assange would not oppose extradition to the U.S. "despite [the] clear unconstitutionality" of any potential criminal complaints that the Justice Department may have against the whistle-blower website, if U.S. Army private Manning is released.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ledow on Saturday January 14 2017, @05:02PM
Assange is deliberately offering a trade which cannot, in law, happen.
So when it's refused, he gets to look like the "good guy" against the evil empire.
The fact is, he's not even in a position to offer that trade, criminals do not get to negotiate their terms of arrest, and even if he was it cannot be accepted by the US, allowed by the UK/EU, or be determined by him.
It's like saying if Assange hands himself in in his place, then some other person in jail gets to go free. That's not how ANYTHING works in that realm, whether it's shoplifting, mass murder, or breach of secret information. Prisoner trades happen, but only with extreme amounts of guarantees (that they won't go free in the country of exchange either) and they are negotiated by COUNTRIES, not by the criminals themselves or random individuals.
If indeed it's actually come from him, Assange has opened his mouth again, spouted some more PR, which cannot be acted on and shows off his superiority complex yet again. He's not in a position to make any deals, demands, or even requests, until he comes out, is arrested, probably does some jail time for skipping UK bail, be extradited, questioned, maybe even arrested again (arrest != charge), and then gets handed over to someone who DOESN'T CARE and will probably just push him out into the world. Which should, to any intelligent observer, show what a nonsense his whole approach has been. But which he would undoubtedly try to spin as some kind of step-down by the governments in question.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 14 2017, @05:46PM
Fuck you and your authoritarian wank-fest of a post.
You are a stinking cunt of a person.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Whoever on Saturday January 14 2017, @07:11PM
LOL. Wealthy accused people negotiate their arrest all the time.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 14 2017, @08:35PM
Criminals? For one thing even if he did the things they're accusing Assange of, none of that's illegal. And for another, the whole idea of allowing women to decide after the fact that they've been raped is a huge problem for fans of justice.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Saturday January 14 2017, @08:54PM
And I'm not referring to either.
I'm in the UK and only care about the UK law.
Skipping bail is a criminal offence. Literally contempt of court.