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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChelsea Manning Warned of Nuri al-Maliki’s Corruption in 2010. David Petraeus Didn’t Listen.
Published March 20, 2015 | By emptywheel
In early 2010, Chelsea Manning discovered that a group of people Iraqs Federal Police were treating as insurgents were instead trying to call attention to Nuri al-Malkis corruption. When she alerted her supervisors to that fact, they told her to drop it, and instead find more people who were publishing anti-Iraqi literature calling out Malikis corruption.
Over the course of my research, I found that none of the individuals had previous ties with anti-Iraqi actions or suspected terrorist or militia groups. A few hours later, I received several photos from the scene from the subordinate battalion.
...........
I printed a blown up copy of the high-resolution photo, and laminated it for ease of storage and transfer. I then walked to the TOC and delivered the laminated copy to our category 2 interpreter. She reviewed the information and about a half-hour later delivered a rough written transcript in English to the S2 section.
I read the transcript, and followed up with her, asking for her take on its contents. She said it was easy for her to transcribe verbatim since I blew up the photograph and laminated it. She said the general nature of the document was benign. The documentation, as I assessed as well, was merely a scholarly critique of the then-current Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. It detailed corruption within the cabinet of al-Malikis government, and the financial impact of this corruption on the Iraqi people.
After discovering this discrepancy between FPs report, and the interpreters transcript, I forwarded this discovery, in person to the TO OIC and Battle NCOIC.
The TOC OIC and, the overhearing Battlecaptain, informed me they didnt need or want to know this information any more. They told me to drop it and to just assist them and the FP in finding out where more of these print shops creating anti-Iraqi literature might be. I couldnt believe what I heard, (24-25)
At the time, David Petraeus was the head of CENTCOM, the very top of the chain of command that had ordered Manning to drop concerns about Iraqis being detained for legitimate opposition to Malikis corruption.
Manning would go on to leak more documents showing US complicity in Iraqi abuses, going back to 2004. None of those documents were classified more than Secret. Her efforts (in part) to alert Americans to the abuse the military chain of command in Iraq was ignoring won her a 35-year sentence in Leavenworth.
MORE:
https://www.emptywheel.net/2015/03/20/chelsea-manning-warned-of-nuri-al-malikis-authoritarianism-in-2010-david-petraeus-didnt-listen/
Chelsea Manning got 35 yrs for leaking Secret docs, Petraeus got probation for leaking code word docs.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)documenting , or otherwise pursuing complaint if she thought she was being given an illegal order.
Not a dumb order. Not an order she didn't like. Not an order that made no sense.
Manning had the option of taking this information to any congressperson. Had the option of formal complaint through the ranks. I think her sentence is way to heavy and should be cut on appeal.....but she did not handle situations like this correctly.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)elias49
(4,259 posts)and regular people had better not interfere!