FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — A military judge in Maryland says she’ll issue a ruling at an afternoon hearing on whether to dismiss the most serious charge against a soldier accused of giving government secrets to WikiLeaks.
Col. Denise Lind said she will announce her decision at 4 p.m. on a defense motion to throw out the charge of aiding the enemy against Pfc. Bradley Manning. The charge carries a maximum life sentence.
Earlier in the day, Lind rejected motions to dismiss several lesser charges against Manning. The defense had argued in one motion that the government had piled on multiple charges in an attempt to increase Manning’s potential punishment and that some of the 22 charges were duplicative.
The 24-year-old Oklahoma native was ordered court-martialed after he was accused of downloading the documents, diplomatic cables and video clips, then sending them to WikiLeaks in 2009 and 2010.
