http://heavy.com/news/2017/01/chelsea-manning-freed-commutation-pardon-sentence-commuted-julian-assange-clemency-obama-wikileaks-bergdahl-snowden/

Some background:

"If you were following the news during the March 2010 elections in Iraq, you might remember that the American press was flooded with stories declaring the elections a success, complete with upbeat anecdotes and photographs of Iraqi women proudly displaying their ink-stained fingers. The subtext was that United States military operations had succeeded in creating a stable and democratic Iraq.

"Those of us stationed there were acutely aware of a more complicated reality.

"Military and diplomatic reports coming across my desk detailed a brutal crackdown against political dissidents by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and federal police, on behalf of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. Detainees were often tortured, or even killed.

"Early that year, I received orders to investigate 15 individuals whom the federal police had arrested on suspicion of printing 'anti-Iraqi literature.' I learned that these individuals had absolutely no ties to terrorism; they were publishing a scholarly critique of Mr. Maliki's administration. I forwarded this finding to the officer in command in eastern Baghdad. He responded that he didn't need this information; instead, I should assist the federal police in locating more 'anti-Iraqi' print shops."

read more at https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/opinion/sunday/chelsea-manning-the-us-militarys-campaign-against-media-freedom.html?_r=2

Manning came to Julian Assange and leaked intel about American Foreign relations. The rest is history now. What are your thoughts? 

Snowden next!

I thought Wikileaks was Putinist front group? Does this mean Obama is a Russian agent now, too?

No. Military Intelligence said that manning leaks caused no harm to any US agents and deemed the files not important enough to qualify the act as aid to enemy.

However, Assange really needs that asylum in Russia whnever he gets out of Ecuadorian embassy.

I had no problem with Manning being jailed. It's Assange that has been wronged, and Obama has been hounding him from day 1.

Yes, let's all applaud a man for finally doing things as he flips off the lights and heads out... it's akin to praising the benevolence of slave owners for freeing their slaves upon dying.

Good point. It's not like he released John Podesta's emails or something. That would be srs biznes.

What kind of analogy is this? Obama willingly commuted Manning's sentence, there's no clause for Manning to be released upon Obama's done with his 2nd term. 

That's good. I wished he released emails from all the politicians including the investments the Russians have on Capitol Hill.

Great. Hopefully Assange fulfills his promise to turn himself in now.

I would think it is obvious: What took him so long?

It's a duplicitous attempt to change the historical narrative regarding his approach to freedom of information... Perhaps it's just me, but a complete reversal of one's own policies during the last few hours of a final term seems both insincere and self-serving. His modus operandi of the past eight years cannot be undone by a single, contradictory act on his way out the door.

There's no reason Manning had to be in jail, Assange trapped in an embassy, and Snowden living in Russia were this reflective of Obama's true sentiments; rather, he's only in favor of such things when it's no longer inconvenient for him.