Chelsea Manning says she faces contempt hearing and jail time, posts fundraising page
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chelsea Manning said the "surveillance systems, the cameras or the police presence" have made the U.S. seem less free. (AP)
Convicted leaker Chelsea Manning is asking for contributions toward legal fees as she faces a contempt hearing and possible jail time for refusing to testify before a grand jury on Wednesday.
The former Army intelligence analyst tweeted that she faces a contempt hearing on Friday for her “refusal to answer questions in front of a grand jury.”
CHELSEA MANNING AGAIN TWEETS ‘F--- THE POLICE’ ON LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Yesterday, I appeared before a secret grand jury after being given immunity for my testimony,” her post read. “ All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010 -- answers I provided extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013.”
Manning said that in refusing to answer she asserted her First, Fourth and Sixth Amendment rights.
Manning, a transgender woman who acknowledged leaking more than 700,000 military and State Department documents to anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks in 2010, was sentenced in August 2013 to 35 years in prison for her crimes before President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DEM PROBES CAST WIDE NET WITH REQUESTS TO WIKILEAKS, NRA, PUTIN TRANSLATORS, TRUMP ORGANIZATION
Prosecutors in Alexandria have long been investigating Wikileaks, and the subpoena served to Manning in January was for an unrelated case in which founder Julian Assange was named, Politico reported.
Manning tweeted out a fundraising page Thursday, asking for contributions to defray legal expenses.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Chelsea risked so much for public good, and has been through a lot of hardship. Let’s show her solidarity together and let the State know their punitive harassment won’t be tolerated,” her fundraising page read.
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Manning said her refusal to answer questions could result in “up to 18 months” of jail time. “In solidarity with many activist facing the odds, I will stand by my principles. I will exhaust every legal remedy available. My legal team continues to challenge the secrecy of these proceedings, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my refusal.”