TRUMP DIPLOMACY - Putin, 'Got Him'

"How Trump’s turbulent Europe trip affects his Putin meeting" PBS NewsHour 7/13/2018

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  What does President Trump's visit to the United Kingdom mean for the transatlantic relationship and his meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin?  Former ambassador to NATO Nick Burns tells John Yang that if the president is going to retain political support, the respect of our allies, and even the respect of Putin, Trump will have to be tougher on the Russian leader.

NATIONAL SECURITY - Bradley Manning Verdict

"Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy, Convicted on 19 Other Charges" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 7/30/2013

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  The verdict was not guilty today on the one charge that could have sent Private 1st Class Bradley Manning to prison for life.

After a trial at Fort Meade, Maryland though, he was convicted of numerous lesser crimes involving the release of more than 700,000 classified documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.  The verdicts ended Manning's two-month court-martial and came more than three years after his disclosures rocked the U.S. government.

The former Army intelligence analyst listened attentively as the judge, Colonel Denise Lind, acquitted him of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, usually reserved for direct provision of assistance of an enemy.  She also found him not guilty of one other espionage charge.

But the judge convicted Manning of 19 other charges, including six counts under the Espionage Act, five counts of stealing U.S. government property, namely, the databases that contained files he disclosed, and computer fraud.

Defense attorney David Coombs hailed the acquittal on aiding the enemy, saying, "Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire."

His supporters have argued Manning is a whistle-blower who exposed official malfeasance for the public good.

MAN:  Roger.  Engage.  (from film of shooting cited below)

JEFFREY BROWN:  Among the most incendiary of his disclosures, a 2007 video that WikiLeaks called collateral murder.  It showed the crew of a U.S. helicopter gunship in Iraq it machine-gunned a group of men suspected of being Iraqi insurgents.  Instead, those killed included a Reuters News Service cameraman and his driver.

The 25-year-old Manning had already pleaded guilty to several lesser charges.  The sentencing phase on today's convictions begins tomorrow and the penalty could add up to 136 years in prison.

And we will have more on the Manning verdict after the other news.

COMMENT:  Being retired U.S. Navy, and having served on Court Martial Board in one case, I know how our military justice system works.  To civilians who are not familiar with the military Manning's trail may not look fair, but he had choices like choosing to be tried by a judge only and using a military defender (he could have chosen a civilian one).

"Did Bradley Manning Get a Fair Trial?" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 7/30/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Though found not guilty of aiding the enemy, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was convicted on other 19 charges.  Former CIA official Jeffrey Smith and Michael Ratner from the Center for Constitutional Rights join Jeffrey Brown to offer their views on the verdict, the fairness of his charges and the impact for the U.S. government.

SNOWDEN - Father Says 'He Has Betrayed His Government'

"Snowden’s father on ‘Today’ show:  ‘He has betrayed his government’" by Debbi Wilgoren, Washington Post 6/27/2013

The father of fugitive Edward Snowden told NBC News that he believes his son would return to the United States if he was assured that he would not be jailed before trial or subjected to a gag order.

Lonnie Snowden told journalist Michael Isikoff that he has not spoken with his son — who is currently believed to be hiding in a Moscow airport to evade arrest by U.S. authorities — since April.

Edward Snowden went into hiding in early June, after information he provided about U.S. data surveillance programs was published by The Washington Post and Guardian newspapers.  He has said he revealed the information because he feared the surveillance programs were violating the rights of private citizens.  He has been charged with leaking classified documents.

The portion of the interview that aired on the “Today” show Friday morning did not explain how the elder Snowden had developed his opinion as to the conditions under which his 30-year-old son might return home.

Lonnie Snowden sent a letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. with his suggestions about how to get his son to return to this country, Isikoff reported.  In the interview, he said he knew his son had broken the law but does not think he committed treason.

“He has betrayed his government, but I don’t believe that he’s betrayed the people of the United States,” Lonnie Snowden said.

“I love him.  I would like to have the opportunity to communicate with him,” he added.

Lonnie Snowden, a career Coast Guard officer who retired and moved to Pennsylvania a few years ago, told NBC that he did not trust WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization that is providing his son with legal and logistical assistance.

“I am concerned about those who surround him,” the father said in the interview.  “I think WikiLeaks, if you’ve looked at past history, you know, their focus isn’t necessarily the Constitution of the United States.  It’s simply to release as much information as possible.”

Edward Snowden is reportedly seeking asylum from Ecuador.  He surfaced in Hong Kong shortly after his leaked information was published, then vanished from sight until he arrived in Moscow last Sunday.

He is believed to have been planning to travel from there to Ecuador, possibly via Cuba.  But as a crush of journalists descended on the airport on Monday, he did not board the designated Havana-bound flight.  He has remained out of public view, as heads of government have verbally jousted over whether he should be extradited to the United States.