Prosecutors Ask Judge To Give Manning 60-Year Sentence

Reason

Prosecutors have asked military judge Col. Denise Lind to sentence Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private who leaked classified information to the website Wikileaks, to sixty years in prison.

Lind has already reduced the possible sentence Manning is facing from 136 years to 90 years. Her deliberation on Manning's sentence is expected to begin tomorrow.

From the AP:

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) -- Prosecutors are asking a military judge to sentence Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 60 years in prison.

Capt. Joe Morrow made the recommendation during closing arguments Monday in the sentencing phase of Manning's court-martial. Morrow says the soldier was convicted of serious crimes and deserves to spend the majority of his life in prison.

Manning faced up to 90 years for his convictions on 20 counts, including six violations of the Espionage Act. Morrow did not say why prosecutors were only seeking 60 years.

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Comments

[jesse.in.mb]

Well gee, that's awful nice of them.

[Swiss Servator - past LTC(ret)]

I'd wager 45 or so.

[Pro Libertate]

Will Obama be pardoning him?

[Episiarch]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Pro Libertate]

Schindler: They fear us because we have the power to kill arbitrarily. A man commits a crime, he should know better. We have him killed and we feel pretty good about it. Or we kill him ourselves and we feel even better. That's not power, though, that's justice. That's different than power. Power is when we have every justification to kill ? and we don't.

Goeth: You think that's power.

Schindler: That's what the emperors had. A man stole something, he's brought in before the emperor, he throws himself down on the ground, he begs for mercy, he knows he's going to die. And the emperor pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go.

Goeth: I think you are drunk.

Schindler: That's power, Amon. That is power. [gestures toward Goeth as a merciful emperor] Amon the Good.

Goeth: [he smiles and laughs] I pardon you.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

So you're saying Obama's last act as POTUS will be to grab a rifle and pick off people from a top the White House?

[Pro Libertate]

You seriously are asking me this question about a man who drone-murders people right now?

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

True. What was I thinking? I'm sure he's got a flat screen TV, a fridge full of beer, and a drone remote in some White House bunker.

[Pro Libertate]

In several hundred years, his disposition matrix for drone process will be declassified. That's when we'll learn that the determination was made as part of a drinking game.

[NoVAHockey]

[makes note to alter afternoon walk to parking garage]

[BakedPenguin]

Serpentine, serpentine!

[Eduard van Haalen]

For once, I recognize a pop-culture reference.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Obama is more likely to mandate that Manning wear an iron mask for the duration of his incarceration than pardon him.

[Pro Libertate]

No, no, he's been saving up his pardons.

[Andrew S.]

Obama would love to make use of his pardon power, but those mean, racist Republicans would criticize him for it. It's totally their fault.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Morrow did not say why prosecutors were only seeking 60 years.

Those old softies. (The Brits would like to tack an extra nine hours onto whatever sentence he gets.)

[Swiss Servator - past LTC(ret)]

And no Grauniad in the cell!

[Fracker_Monocle]

I guess this is that "fairness" that Thomas Friedman was talking about earlier.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Morrow did not say why prosecutors were only seeking 60 years.

BFYTW. But really, aren't all prison sentences arbitrary?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Make Manning the President of the US. Aren't Obama's supporters always going on about what a trial it is to be President, with all the persecution from the teabaggers and so on? Why not subject Manning to these persecutions and let Obama retire in peace?

[DEATFBIRSECIA]

^+100 State Secrets

[DEATFBIRSECIA]

Manning/Snowden 2020!

They're both obviously smarter than the rest of the government, since they stole all their secrets, so why the fuck not.

[Swiss Servator - past LTC(ret)]

Quick, get that on a T-shirt and cash in!

[R C Dean]

Manning strikes me as more of a bottom, so I'd put him down as VP.