Manning Defense: Charges Threaten Whistleblowers

That's probably the idea

FT. MEADE, Md. (CN) - Charging WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning with "aiding the enemy" is a "very slippery slope" that threatens to put the "hammer down on any whistle-blower," his defense attorney told a military judge on Monday.

The former intelligence specialist faces 22 charges connected with the disclosure of more than 700,000 military and diplomatic files, including battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. embassy cables, and footage of airstrikes that killed civilians.

Manning said he hoped the publication of this information would spark widespread debate, reforms and reportage about the way the U.S. conducts warfare and diplomacy.