From Bradley’s attorney David Coombs; June 6-8 courtroom notes
Supporters held a vigil in solidarity with Bradley Manning’s June 6-8th motion hearing. Nathan Fuller reports back from the court room, and PFC Bradley Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, posted a message of gratitude to supporters on his blog. You can support Bradley in several ways: donate to his defense fund, send a solidarity photo, attend his next appearance in Ft. Meade, on June 25.
Bradley’s attorney David Coombs, in Ft. Meade
By David Coombs. June 12, 2012.
Over the past two years, thousands of individuals have either donated to the defense fund or given freely of their time to support PFC Bradley Manning. The support provided has come in many forms:
1) Signing petitions (standwithbrad.org);
2) Standing up to say “I am Bradley Manning” (iam.bradleymanning.org);
3) Writing to military/government authorities;
4) Writing letters to the editors of local and national newspapers;
5) Attending marches, rallies, and other public events to raise awareness about Bradley Manning;
6) Using social media to write about the case and the events of every hearing;
7) Contacting government representatives;
8) Sending messages of support to my law office;
9) Donating to the legal defense fund; or
10) Volunteering with the Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage to Resist.
At every court hearing, I am given the opportunity to witness this support first hand. The attendance by supporters during these hearings as been nothing short of inspiring. Although my client is not permitted to engage those in attendance, he aware of your presence and support.
Supporters in Truth shirts outside the Ft. Meade courtroom
During our latest hearing on 6 – 8 June, I was particularly struck by the warmth of support by those in attendance. At one point during a break, I had causally mentioned that it was my anniversary. Apparently a supporter had overheard this statement, and took up a collection to give flowers, a balloon, and a thoughtful card to me and my wife. This kind gesture is emblematic of the type of people who are supporting Brad.
I would like to publicly thank all those who have supported my client over the past two years. I also want to pass on the following message from Brad: “I am very grateful for your support and humbled by your ongoing efforts.” Brad also asked me to specifically thank on his behalf the unflinching support of Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network.
What happens in this court-martial is of vital importance to all of us. With your continued support, we will ensure that justice is achieved for Brad.
Donate now to the Bradley Manning defense fund.
For more information about the defense fund
click here.
Supporters report from the June 6th vigil:
On the first day of Bradley Manning’s June 6-8th motion hearing supporters stood outside the gates of Fort Meade to hold a vigil in solidarity with Bradley, before moving in to fill the court room. The Bradley Manning Support Network provided supporters with t-shirts that read “Truth” (supporters at previous hearings had been blocked from wearing “Free Bradley” t-shirts which had been deemed too controversial.) Read reports from some of those who attended!
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For those living near Washington, DC. consider attending Bradley’s next court appearance – an interim motion hearing scheduled for June 25th!
Daily accounts of the June 6-8th motion hearings:
Thus far the military has failed to provide official public transcripts of the hearings. Thankfully Bradley Manning Support Network writer Nathan L. Fuller was in court each day to provide daily accounts.
Wednesday, June 6: The first day of the hearing focused on the government’s failure to produce evidence the defense has been requesting since the case’s inception. In the morning, the judge ruled in favor of a defense motion, stating that the government must provide the defense access to a Defense Intelligence Agency WikiLeaks damage assessment. The defense also complained of the heavy redacting in the documents they’ve been given access to, showing a huge file with most of the pages entirely blacked out, making context of evidence impossible to understand. Later, the defense provided detailed information about the efforts they’d taken to obtain evidence and the delays and other obstacles they’d faced. We learned that 28 of the 63 requested agencies have turned in damage assessments within the past two months, with most providing one or two pages alleging no damage.
Thursday, June 7: Three State Department officials testified regarding that department’s damage assessment and general response to WikiLeaks’ releases. The third witness refused to give the name of the State Department official who has kept records on the impact of WikiLeaks since 2011. However, we learned of several different possible documents containing evidence of WikiLeaks’ impact on our national security or lack thereof, which the defense formally requested access to but has been asking for as part of its discovery request for two years.
Friday, June 8: Military Judge Lind ruled against three defense motions: to dismiss specifications due to vagueness, to dismiss charges for failing to state an offense, and to dismiss lesser-included offenses. The prosecution was allowed to keep the charge alleging Bradley exceeded his authorized computer access because it said it had more evidence to produce in trial. Coombs argued the government was being deceptive, that has no new relevant evidence and is only trying to overcharge Bradley. The prosecution’s discovery delays — to review material the defense requested originally — will push the court martial back until November or January.
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The truth and nothing but the truth !!
Hang in there, folks! What Bradley did for all of us will help keep democracies all over the world from sliding into silent acquiescence with corporation fascism.
Free Bradley!
We thought that hitler & the third richt was power mad to dominate the world!
The U S is by far more sinister starting with the Monroe Doctrine to Iraq!
You’re a hero, Bradley. You took the right step and we must now fight to free you from the gangsters who don’t want the truth known and don’t people unafraid to tell the truth.
Bradley Manning is not the only one that leaks out Gov. secrets information. In 2009 a high ranking DHS TSA officer called himself Douglas Chapman from Washington D.C. did brought the black and unbreakable DHS computer laptop with him to Hollywood, Ca. to show it off. He was very careless with the computer laptop, sometime he left it in the trunk of my car when we were inside places. After Iran hijacked the missing drone, I called and email OIGDHS and let them know about the DHS computer laptop. I told the DHS investigator that either Mr. Chapman is a very bad and careless officer or a double agent. Not all the Gov. secrets leaks are from Bradley Manning.
Why is Manning’s lawyer not a military JAG? I know Mr. Coombes was a former military JAG but why doesn’t Manning have official representation by the US gov’t?
If YOU were PFC Bradley Manning would YOU WANT A GOVERNMENT JAG ATTORNEY REPRESENTING YOU?
Think about it. I am certain the gov’t hoped PFC Manning would take that route b/c it would give them free reign over yet another kangaroo court that could cost a man his life who did not deserve to have it taken away.
Any attorney through the JAG office representing PFC Manning would be quite literally the “FOX GUARDING THE HEN-HOUSE!”
If I were PFC Manning, I wouldn’t trust an acting JAG attorney to handle my defense in such a trial! This is a major case where our gov’t f-ked up and the whole world finally saw clearly without the sugar-cookie coating that occurred during the Bush/Cheney Reich! The US citizens were long overdue for the truth of what was going on in Iraq and being done in OUR NAMES AT THE LOSS OF OUR GREATEST TREASURE IN THIS COUNTRY: OUR SOLDIERS! The MOTHERS, FATHERS, SISTERS, BROTHERS, SONS, DAUGHTERS, etc… WE DESERVED TO KNOW THE TRUTH AND EVEN WHEN SHOWN THE TRUTH, IN NO WAY DID PFC Manning put the US at risk from the enemy, that is unless they now consider every person in the county with at minimum a high school education and maximum a college degree of any grade to know we were lied to and our military has turned our soldiers, our family members and friends into terrorists themselves based on the action shown in the videos that were shown on Wikileaks! What they did was WRONG and it is high time the citizens of this country learn what was done in OUR NAME and then find those responsible and it’s not PFC Manning – It’s the Bush Administration along with Bush and Cheney, and they should be the ones on trial but not in the US, they should be on trial at the Hague for Crimes against Humanity, Extortion of funds, giving away jobs without the legal process of bids as Haliburten and others were no-bid hires and that is illegal and it made both Cheney & Bush richer than they where before going into office – again illegally so. They are guilty of the murder of innocent Iraqi civilians and the sheer hell they have put the families of soldiers who lost their lives along with soldiers who cannot cope with the horrors they were ordered to carry out, and those who are so messed up from what they were forced to do that they are taking it out on those closest to them: their families! (Read up on the military base in Denver, Colorado where there was an amazingly shocking overwhelming series of abuses against families of returned soldiers in addition of murders of girlfriends and wives by military soldiers returning from their tours in Iraq). All this is on the heads of Bush and Cheney. They started this nightmare and should be made to pay for it with their lives!
Thank you for speaking your heart.
Why do you think it is always that the ones who are doing the truly horrific crimes against humanity (in the name of God, righteousness, liberty, national security or whatever) are the ones who persecute those who expose them, and the ones who actually do the wrongs go free? The one named Jesus Christ himself made a similar observation when he said to his followers “There will come a time when men will kill you thinking they are doing a service to God.” [John 16:2]
It’s unfortunate, but the saying: ‘in God we trust’ on the back of the one dollar bill is not the true God that ‘they’ are putting their trust in after all, but money. True and lasting peace on earth will only come when God returns to bring down all the corrupt authority that now reigns on the planet. Pray it will come soon.
Thankyou for having the courage to stand up to this evil, murderous, corporate monster. I really hope this ends well for you. Your selfless bravery is a real example of heroism.
Our Government is beyond corrupt and completely out of control. I admire you Mr. Manning. You are sacrificing your freedom for me and I pray you get strength, hope and a future. Keep hanging in there, we won’t FORGET YOU!!! Washington needs to be thrust out of society and we should start over…with all women of course. We know how to tell the truth, apologize when we are wrong and BUDGET!!!