![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/BRADLEYMANNING_2580414a.jpg\")
<\/a>Credit: William Hennessy\/AP<\/p><\/div>\n
Check in with Kevin Gosztola <\/a>and Alexa O’Brien<\/a>, who are both covering the proceedings, for regular updates and commentary.<\/p>\n According to Gosztola, here <\/a>and here<\/a> from Day 1 of the trial, it is clear that the government will be painting Manning as an arrogant, small man who “dumped” a load of classified info on the Internet, despite being trained on the consequences of allowing such information to get into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n Gosztola describes the Army’s opening salvo:<\/p>\n [Military prosecutor Capt. Joe Morrow] declared, \u201cThis is not a case about a government official\u201d making discreet disclosures. It is a case about a soldier who \u201cliterally dumped\u201d information on the Internet \u201cinto the hands of the enemy.\u201d It is a case about \u201cwhat happens when arrogance meets access to information.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrow added that Manning\u2019s training repeatedly had warned him of the \u201cenemies\u2019 use of the Internet writ large.\u201d He had conducted research that warned him of the \u201cenemies\u2019 use of WikiLeaks.\u201d He knew the dangers of \u201cunauthorized disclosure to an organization like WikiLeaks and he ignored that evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n Manning violated superior officers and engaged in an act to the \u201caid of our adversaries.\u201d He used his military training to \u201cgain notoriety.\u201d He \u201cknew the consequences of his actions and disregarded that for self-interest…(clip)<\/p>\n Manning, the military prosecutor argued, knew there was a \u201cgreat value to our adversaries and in particular our enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Most interestingly — though not surprising — it appears the government will spend the next 12 weeks trying to convince the jury that not only was Manning fully cognizant that his actions would “aid the enemy” — the “enemy” being al Qaeda — but that he conspired with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks to do it.<\/p>\n The leitmotif<\/em> in this ongoing tragedy is that the government is looking for a way to finally prosecute Assange, who is living under Ecuadoran asylum in that country’s embassy in London. WikiLeaks in currently under investigation by the U.S Justice Department. Many believe the government is trying to prove that Assange helped Manning obtain, store and release the documents, which would make him a co-conspirator rather than merely the recipient of more than 700,000 classified U.S documents. Manning has adamantly denied this co-conspiracy scenario, but has admitted handing the files to WikiLeaks after being turned down by major American newspapers. WikiLeaks has neither confirmed nor denied it got the documents from Manning.<\/p>\n