In a letter to President Barack Obama asking for a pardon Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning, says that she leaked thousands of classified documents through the website WikieLeaks "out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others," according to the Associated Press.
The Army Pvt. was recently sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty on 20 different counts including charges of espionage and theft. Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence. The 35 year sentence Manning was given represents the largest sentence ever given for leaking government information seemingly in correlation with the fact that Manning's leak was the largest in the history of the United States.
The petition for pardon, sent by Manning's lawyer David Coombs, uses the name "Bradley Manning" since it is still Manning's legal name. In the petition Manning says she regrets if her actions harmed anybody or the United States. In a statement at the end of the trial Manning apologized for hurting people and the country, leaving out the "if," according to the Associated Press.
"The harm offered by the Government during the trial was speculative at best," Coombs told the Associated Press. "The majority of the instances provided by the Government for potential harm either were unrealized or had other more plausible causes, rather than Private Manning's conduct, for the potential harm."
Also included with the petition was a letter from Amnesty International that hailed Manning as a hero for exposing possible human rights violations by leaking the classified information, according to the Associated Press.
"While the U.S. government has the inherent right to maintain the security of classified information, national security cannot be a blanket justification to withhold information about serious human rights violations," Anne FitzGerald, the director of research and crisis response for the organization, wrote.
Last month when it was announced by Manning's lawyer that a petition for a pardon was expected the White House said that they will handle the request in the same manner that they handle all other requests, according to the Associated Press.
