‘I Feel Very Comfortable That Justice Has Been Served’
President Barack Obama says that “Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence,” and noted,â€Â “it made sense to commute and not pardon Chelsea Manning’s sentence. I feel very comfortable that justice has been served.”
The outgoing Commander-in-Chief, at his final press conference Wednesday afternoon, referred to Manning as a “leaker,” in contradiction to how she has been characterized this week by Republicans and others opposed to her commutation.
“I felt, that, in light of all the circumstances, commuting her sentence was entirely appropriate.”
He denied that anyone who thinks her actions “have gone unpunished, I don’t think, would get that impression from the sentence Chelsea Manning has served.”
“It has been my view that given she went to trial, due process was carried out, she took responsibility for her crime, that the sentence she received was very disproportional relative to what other leakers had received.”
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Manning will be released in May. Pres. Obama commuted her 35-year sentence after she served about seven years, taking 28 years off.
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