Obama shortens Manning's term, grants clemency to hundreds

Manning should rot in prison forever. He's a traitor to the United States.

And yes, I know I can switch gears and say how awesome Obama is for pardoning him because it makes the right wingers angry, but yeah, I think I'll pass.

It is the right thing to do. Thank you Obama. Yep Thank God for a President with a heart and a mind, the new one clearly lacks both as does anyone who thinks that 35 years for this "crime" was even close to reasonable.

Good. Now let Snowden off the hook as well and don't pursue anything against Assange. These guys expose the corruption and backdoor dealings of governments and corporations. Truth is best to be heard. People shouldn't shield their eyes from this any longer and think their big daddy government really cares for them.

the US would be better served by him pardoning thousands of petty drug offenders who deserve clemency more than these high profile publicity getting names.

Horrible decision. Do you think the whole LGBT/pay for my sex change thing might have had anything to do with it....? hmmmmm

I can see how this may set a bad precedent and am curious to hear his reasoning when he explains his decision later tonight. He's also apparently planning more pardons tonight so hopefully he goes after the petty drug users who don't belong in jail

I guess Snowden and Assange put out the wrong kind of truth huh?

I am also interested in the rationale behind this decision. Expressed regret and served several years of her sentence (6 years of 35 I think)? There had better be more than that....

Good luck with that jive, Obama !-Live long & Prosper...

I am also interested in the rationale behind this decision. Expressed regret and served several years of her sentence (6 years of 35 I think)? There had better be more than that....

I know that Snowden petitioned for Manning's pardon over his own. Others have come out strongly for Manning as well, mainly because she's been suicidal and probably wouldn't last much longer in prison.

Will Donald Trump repeals their clemency?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/along-with-chelsea-manning-here-are-the-other-people-who-received-pardons-and-commutations-from-obama/ar-AAlXRx0?li=AA4ZnC&ocid=spartandhp

The entire list. Cocaine, heroin, meth distributors. Other serious felonies, gun charges.. Yeah thanks Obama for putting all these convicted felons back on the streets. Im sure the policemen that risked their lives to arrest these people and the juries who decided to put them in prison for the benefit of others in society really appreciate this Obama.

This one is a head-scratcher. Why pardon this traitor? Disagree completely with that move.

Manning is a national hero. He let the American people know the crimes that America commits during war.

Bah, Manning is no hero - young, screwed up and utterly naive. But commuting was think it was the right thing to do. The real fool was the cretin that got his hands on the data and leaked it all, knowing full well the dangers and compromises for people working in the intelligence communities, and not just North American..... Julian Assange.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Obama’s commutation for Manning would mean for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who had earlier pledged that he would agree to U.S. extradition if Obama granted clemency to Manning.

Does anyone reckon Assange is about to put up his hands and step in the searchlight? Obama's a thinker and likes putting his enemies in an intellectual squeeze - you have to believe he knew he commuted Manning's sentence with the pledge of Assange in mind.

Heh, it's beautiful - the coward holed up in the embassy from sex crime allegations just had his bluff called. Your move, creep....

Good. Now let Snowden off the hook as well and don't pursue anything against Assange.

The Swedish are after Assange, so whatever the US does has no bearing on that case.

These pardons by Obama will create a lot of emotional controversy - but there's another side which differs from the partisan aspect. Deep studies have shown that after 2.5 years of prison life a definite mental deterioration commences. Often these effects become so ingrained that a reversion is almost impossible. All aspects of the crime should be taken into account so that a sadistic punishment is not too destructive.

Assange promised to turn himself in for US extradition back in Sept and again last week if Obama does this:

https://www.rt.com/usa/374012-assange-extradition-manning-commutation/

We'll see whether he's a man of his word or he's going to run away again.

If Assange turns himself in for the US, it'd be interesting if Trump would prosecute him and WikiLeaks.

A lot of Democrat voters don't want to prosecute him, but a lot of Republican voters do.

Meanwhile, Snowden thanked Obama, but Obama can't do the same for him since, unlike Snowden, Manning faced due process and accepted responsibility for the consequences by not asking for a pardon but just a commutation.

Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who received a pardon, had pleaded guilty in October to making false statements during an investigation into a leak of classified information about a covert cyberattack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

US is quite leaky

What a great day with this news. Could not be happier for her.

Manning is a national hero. He let the American people know the crimes that America commits during war.

Thanks to people like them and Snowden, we really dodged a bullet! Without them, Hillary could have wounded up being president. Thank God! I'm all for the pardons, they deserved it.

Lostrune,

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/18/focus-turns-to-julian-assange-after-us-decision-to-free-chelsea-manning

Julian Assange ready for US extradition, one of his lawyers suggests

Hehehehe....

I asked earlier but no challengers. Any Assange lovers out there really think he's going to keep his word?

Wasn't the whole reason the radical left let him off the hook for his sex crime allegations was that he might be extradited to the US? And besides, the Americans will have to wait in line behind Sweden and the UK.

I don't agree with what Manning did, nor do I agree with the draconian sentence she received especially in light of her own vulnerability.

As I said earlier, a stellar move from President Obama. He's given the finger to all the unreasonable people involved here from left to right and dumped the problem of Assange in Trump's lair. And let us not forget that Trump called for the death penalty for not only Assange but for everyone in the Kremlin sponsored Wikileaks -heh, until Trump got orders from Putin that is.

you know, in that picture she kinda looks like a guy

Great! Because with your new messiah, Trump, you'll DEFINITELY need people willing to leak government documents!

Manning got what she asked for - she asked for a commutation, not a pardon

But seems Assange is chickening out:

https://francais.rt.com/international/32544-julian-assange-refuse-extradition-chelsea-manning-toujours-pas-libre

It's one thing to say something brave when it's not probable - it's another thing to tough it out and follow through when it actually happens

But seems Assange is chickening out:

I don't recall reading about Assange and Obama coming to an agreement about this. If Obama did this on his own, Assange has nothing honor.

But seems Assange is chickening out:

I don't recall reading about Assange and Obama coming to an agreement about this. If Obama did this on his own, Assange has nothing honor.

Obama didn't ask Assange to make that pledge neither - it was Assange doing it on his own.

Since Assange did the pledge on his own, then he has to stand by his pledge - on his own.

He has to honor his own pledge, which he did on his own volition, without anybody else's involvement.

Otherwise, his pledges are meaningless - so next time he makes a pledge in the future, nobody would believe that he would stand by his pledge.

AFAIK, there are no U.S. government warrants pending for Assange. There have never been any U.S. government warrants for Assange. What would the U.S. government arrest the non-U.S. citizen Assange for? Illegally receiving stolen goods?

Only Assange, and his supporters, claim that the U.S. has warrant(s) for Assange arrest.