Chelsea Manning: Obama under fire for cutting sentence

US President Barack Obama has come under fire from top Republicans for his decision to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked documents to Wikileaks in 2010. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the move set a “dangerous precedent”. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the time already served by Manning was an appropriate […]

US President Barack Obama has come under fire from top Republicans for his decision to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked documents to Wikileaks in 2010.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said the move set a “dangerous precedent”.
But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the time already served by Manning was an appropriate punishment.
The 29-year-old transgender US Army private, born Bradley Manning, will be freed on 17 May.
She had been scheduled to be released in 2045.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in 2013 for her role in leaking diplomatic cables to the anti-secrecy group, one of the largest breaches of classified material in US history.
The commutation reduces Manning’s sentence but is not a pardon, which some campaigners had called for.
Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it a “grave mistake”.