Prosecutor Casts Manning as ‘Anarchist’

In the final moves of Bradley Manning’s high-profile military trial for leaking documents to WikiLeaks, prosecutor Maj. Ashden Fein attempted to portray the 25-year-old private as a wild anarchist and a traitor to the U.S. “He was a traitor, a traitor who understood the value of compromised information in the hands of the enemy and took deliberate steps to ensure that they, along with the world, received it,” Fein said. Fein spoke from late morning until 6 p.m., going over many documents in detail. Defense attorney David Coombs will deliver his closing argument Friday. The trial is being watched for its unprecedented attempt to charge a whistleblower with “aiding the enemy,” as a conviction on those grounds would have deep implications for investigative journalism and free speech.