I have previously objected to how the Justice Department uses grand juries to punish certain individuals who refuse to cooperate with federal investigations. This concern was heightened during my representation of Dr. Sami Al-Arian who signed a plea bargain with the understanding that, after serving his time, he would be allowed to leave the country. Instead, he was forced before a grand jury and remained in jail for years as a matter of contempt. The Justice Department often prolongs the incarceration while piling on fines to ruin individuals who refuse to cooperate. That was the case with Chelsea Manning. Like Al-Arian, she had already served time for her role in the Wikileaks controversy but the remainder of her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama. The Justice Department proceeded to pull her before another grand jury where she refused to testify (like Al-Arian). After a long incarceration and an equally excessive 256,000 in fines, she finally tried to kill herself this week by hanging in the Alexandria jail. Only then did U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga finally order her release.
In a 2019 letter to the judge, Manning objected to the grand jury probe as “an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a public good.” Given her long prior sentence and the presidential commutation, Manning refused to testify under a guarantee to immunity because she viewed the effort as an attack on press freedom.
Judge Trenga rejected her prior pleas to be released for 10 months. After the suicide attempt, he finally relented but refused to lift the massive fines against Manning. Trenga simply noted that the grand jury had been disbanded so there was nothing to coerce at this time in terms of testimony: “The Court finds that Ms. Manning’s appearance before the Grand Jury is no longer needed, in light of which her detention no longer serves any coercive purpose.”
The Manning case (like Al-Arian’s) should compel Congress to take another look at how the grand jury system is used for retaliatory and punitive purposes by the Justice Department. One does not have to agree with the views or the actions of either Manning or Al-Arian to view these cases as abusive.
Courts clearly are not exercising much discretion under these current rules governing contempt cases. The result is that prosecutors can impose excessive levels of incarceration and fines on individuals by daisy-chaining grand juries (as with both Manning and Al-Arian). This is an area of abuse that has been ignored by Congress for too long. Prosecutors know that there is little political benefit for Congress to seek reforms when the subjects of the cases are so unpopular. The result has been unchecked authority to impose unjust and unwarranted levels of punishment through the federal contempt rules.
There is no prosecutor in recent history that had the integrity to indict military officials for Manning’s torture during his first prison term. The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and inhuman treatment – yet not a single prosecutor with integrity to uphold the Oath of Office that each of them swore to uphold. Manning must view our system as a Kangaroo Court.
The term ‘torture’ does not mean what you fancy it means.
After his sentence was commuted he should have been kicked out of the country never to come back here again. The Russians and Chinese would have put HIM before a firing squad for what he did. No mercy should be given to traitors ever. Why his sentence was commuted is beyond me.
Missing: Johnathan Turley, legal scholar and academic
By now it is obvious that Professor Turley has no desire to address realities on the ground in these United States; most notably the pandemic and financial crisis.
One can speculate that Turley, a well-known Trump defender, has no desire to write about Trump’s chaotic response to the crisis at hand. Therefore Turley’s blog seems to be running on auto-pilot with bland columns pertaining to nothing of importance. Comically one wonders if Turley himself has succumbed to the virus.
Touche!!!
Now is this the one that acts like a reporter or something from time to time
“That was the case with Chelsea Manning. Like Al-Arian, [SHE] had already served time for her role in the Wikileaks controversy but the remainder of her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama.”
– Professor Turley
_______________
Chelsea Manning is a he, a male, with deep specific psychosis who has, unethically and/or criminally, undergone contraindicated gender reassignment surgery. Chelsea Manning may change his name or excise an appendage but he will never be a she. He is a mutilated, undiagnosed mental patient. Chelsea Manning didn’t need surgery, he needed psychoanalysis and treatment for gender dysphoria and emerging schizophrenia.
America has become “The Island of Doctor Moreau.”
George, I chuckled at your 8-10 kids, bc in all seriousness, I think I’m too old for that now. That’s a lot of kids. You would have to start at like 18 yo for that many kids.
And where I live, it cost ~250,000 per kid, assuming to 18 yr old, not including private school, or university, etc.
So, 25 x 1 = 25, then add the 0’s, so, 250,000 has 4–0’s plus the 1–0 from the 10, and bam…you got 2,500,000.
So, 10 kids is going to cost me 2.5 million without college or private school or cars or whatever else they need, 🙃. I’m upside down now, head-spinning…
Certainly I agree.
Compensation packages are exponentially more important that actual people.
Women will be rich and people will be gone.
Women can vote in a nation that doesn’t exist.
That is perfect female logic, right?
Alas, you changed the subject – the American economy must be repatriated.
How long can a nation survive with a sub-replacement fertility rate at 1.6 in “death spiral?”
Alternatively, we can import the population 100% or replace the population 100% with AI cyborgs.
We can change the name to Cyborgia.
Thank you, ladies.
Goodnight, America.
I believe TPTB, want Transhumanism, no?
Isn’t that part of the agenda?
I don’t know where these rich powerful ladies are at, but if any of them can help me out, I need a full-time job, living off monopoly money and temp gigs gets tiresome. Covid-19 isn’t helping out either, no one wants randoms strolling in right now.
I’m in the red… bad, but my own doing….figured pay it off over 30 years…idk…
Or, if you know a guy with some disposable income, wants a wife, and wants to wipe out the debt, let me know. I make some good cakes. 2-5 kids max. Think I’m too old for more than 3, being honest.
Can’t speak for other ladies…so ::shrugs:: idk…
Speaking of confused and conflicted gay men
“ Andrew Gillum found in Miami Beach hotel room with suspected drugs, police report says
March 13, 2020 12:06 PM
MIAMI HERALD BREAKING NEWS
Andrew Gillum, who in 2018 came within 34,000 votes of becoming Florida’s governor, was discovered by police at a South Beach hotel early Friday morning in a room with bags of possible methamphetamine and in the company of a man who appeared to have overdosed on drugs, according to a Miami Beach police report.
Police say they were called to the Mondrian South Beach early Friday morning and found paramedics treating Travis Dyson, a 30-year-old Miami man, for an apparent heart attack. They say two other men were in the room: Aldo Mejias and Gillum.
Police say Gillum, who was not arrested, was too intoxicated to answer questions. An offense incident report says that officers found three clear plastic baggies of suspected crystal meth on the bed and floor.”
Miami Herald
Speaking of confused and conflicted gay men
Gillum’s been married for 11 years and has three children. I’d suspend judgment until more details emerge. He hasn’t been busted for possession, yet. Presumably he will be should the labs find meth in his system.
Checking White Pages and Facebook, I do find a Travis Dyson that age living in Miami Beach. He would appear to be (1) a nurse and (2) a physical culture enthusiast and (3) flaming. My wager is that nursing license is in serious peril.
So sick of hearing about this traitor loser who has cost all Americans millions of hard earned bucks. Deport her to Russia where she belongs.
It seems the Dept. of JUST US as well as the FBI are becoming more corrupt by the day.
Don’t give up, practice makes perfect.
Considering the comments here I have to ask why Chelsea would choose to be transgender. Well, it isn’t a choice. It’s who she is.
I knew a police officer who spent ten months in twenty-three hour lock-in, without charge, because he refused to turn over his kids to his drug-addicted ex then living with her boyfriend, a drug dealing prior felon. The officer safely secreted them away, the children were eventually discovered, and he returned to work with the full support of the department. Can you Imagine? Twenty-three hour lock-in for ten months for contempt of court?
I had an aunt that was held for months years ago because she refused to answer questions regarding the activities of her mob affiliated husband, again without charge, can you imagine?
It’s just incredible to me that the courts can jail people indefinitely for contempt of court.
there has always been contempt of courts since there have been courts. there could be no courts without it.
just like police need power of arrest or you might as well not have any at all
sometimes power is abused. don’t throw baby out with bathwater
What a joke the justice system has become if they let him out of jail because he attempted suicide. Bradley, here is some advice, not across the wrist, but up the arm, makes it more effective.
Just disappointed in this article. I am as disgusted as anyone, well most, regarding judicial activism. There has always been a two tier justice system for the wealthy vs poor, however today’s injustice which has morphed into political activism is at a crisis level and could bring it down. Bradley Manning should have been shot as a traitor and we would be done with it. The fact that we didn’t shoot the traitor further allows the mockery of our justice system, wasting zillions of taxpayer dollars and provides a platform for a deviant.
Like many here I am troubled by your consistent referring to Manning as a female. He is Not and never will be a women. If a man looses his genitals in war, but Not his life, he remains a MAN. This bowing to political correctness instead of medical and genetic reality is dangerous.
Totally agree. Manning is not a woman, I don’t care what parts of him got chopped off. Cosmetically he may look female, but that’s it. If you doubt his gender, just check his DNA, okay? Stop pandering to insanity.
Transgenderism has taken on the religious sanctity of the transubstantiation. No regard for provable and observable fact; let’s just humor the guy/gal/thing. As a theology instructor of mine once asked: “What do you think you would find it seconds after consecration of the Eucharist, you dashed to the altar and placed the once-wafer under an electron microscope?” “Wheat flour,” was my reply. “That’s what it tastes like to me both pre- and post- ritual.”
People that call these males female are they themselves mentally ill.
Bradley Manning was basically completely destroyed basic he released some info showing the US govt engaged in…. see the video…..
But this is really a sick society at the moment so what can we add, there’s zombies everywhere now.
The fact that you referred to this male as “she” is really all I need to know. Do you also believe your five year old when he says that he is a dragon?! Nothing like committing treason and then getting the government to pay for a six figure selective surgery! Your defense of this very mentally ill traitor is perfect attorney, lacking all decency and probably even a human soul.
Marshall Gill you are wrong and opposing solid American tradition to attack the attorney who advocates for the prisoner’s rights, no matter the crime. Be disgusted by the defendant but not by the defender so long as the enforcement system remains flawed.
This is just a tiny tip of the iceberg. The entire justice system is broken due to a serious lack of integrity of sitting judges. Like Machina vs Texas. The prosecutors refused to all defense a diary written by the defendant. For over two years. Then they copied two or three pages and destroyed the rest. The alleged judge then allowed the prosecutors to use the pages in his court. Then, when the defense used a expert witness, agreed to before trial, the judge allowed the prosecutors to object to her testimony while the jury was out. On appeal it was two to one against the defendant. This is “learned: judges? Sorry there is a much bigger problem with the legal system. Got lots of money? Your free. Poor? Go to prison for 75 years no parole. Again they can get away with it because politicians won’t address the problem, might hurt their re election chances.
allow not all
Sorry there is a much bigger problem with the legal system. Got lots of money? Your free. Poor? Go to prison for 75 years no parole.
Worked like a dream for Paul Manafort, Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein.
You embed an image of Bradley, yet refer to him as Chelsea. And you use female pronouns. Because of course.
If you are going to play along with his mental disorder and pretend he’s really a female, then why not embed a photo of him while he’s playing dress up as a female? His goal is to trick the rest of society into believing he’s a female. You are willing to play along with his deception. So why not embed a photo of him in his fake, make believe female persona?
You are as confused about his gender as he is.
“The Justice Department proceeded to pull her before another grand jury where she refused to testify (like Al-Arian). After a long incarceration and an equally excessive 256,000 in fines, she finally tried to kill herself this week in the Alexandria jail. Only then did U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga finally order her release.”
***********************
Manning was in contempt for refusal to testify. Jail is appropriate as were the daily fines. I don’t have a big enough inventory of tears to shed even one for this traitor to the country who gave up 750,000 classified military and intelligence documents to Wikileaks that undoubtedly led to death and torture for American collaborators.
Trenga is a fair guy and obviously this failed suicide ploy got to him. Too bad good people are so brazenly manipulated by demonstrably bad ones. At 71, it’s time for him to retire and spend time with the grand kids. Spoiling them doesn’t affect national security.
Not everyone who exposes our country’s secrets is a “whistleblower.” Manning’s ridiculous, dangerous info dump should keep him in jail for a LONG time. An inmate’s threat of suicide or attempted suicide is NOT a reason to release him.
Bradley Manning’s step-mother adjudged him a sponge and an attention-whore and wanted him out of her house. His father, who had benefited greatly from his time in the Navy, thought the service might be just the ticket to get his problem son back on track. You know what happened next.
He creates drama wherever he plants his a**. It appears that most people he games as he injures them; they don’t have his step-mother’s saving asperity. You can add a federal judge to the list.
And we know why Obama mollycoddled him and Bowe Bergdahl: he did not disapprove of what they did.
Whoever the humans are, who put her in jail, should be put in the ocean with a heavy piece of lead chained to their legs. Drown em.
By the way. Does Chelsie have a song?
Man or woman? Fag is not a good term.
That word “song” was meant to be song.