Bradley Manning Back in Court Again for Motion Hearings - East Idaho News
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Bradley Manning Back in Court Again for Motion Hearings

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GETTY N 042712 BradleyManning?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1338995403788Mark Wilson/Getty Images(FORT MEADE, Md.) — In what has become almost a monthly event, alleged WikiLeaker PFC Bradley Manning is back in court for more motion hearings on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old faces 22 charges, including aiding the enemy, wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet knowing that it is accessible to the enemy, theft of public property or records, and transmitting defense information.

When Manning was last in court the judge denied a defense motion to dismiss the charge of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge Manning will face during his court martial. 

On Wednesday, the presiding judge, Col. Denise Lind, will hear defense motions to dismiss 10 of the 22 specifications Manning faces.

Eight of the specifications up for dismissal focus on transmitting classified or sensitive information to unauthorized persons and two relate to allegations of Manning exceeding authorized access.

The defense is expected to argue that the government is overly broad and vague in their charges that Manning transmitted information to unauthorized persons and that the language of the law the government is charging under doesn’t allow the government to use it in this way.

As for the motion to dismiss the charges of exceeding authorized access, the defense, led by attorney David Coombs, is expected to argue that Manning couldn’t have exceeded access by simply using his government computers in the way the government is alleging, therefore it cannot be a crime.

Lind is also expected to rule on discovery motions in which the defense wants access to classified assessments and files from government agencies.

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