Well-known whistleblower does throw to prestigious office

Chelsea Manning, who as a soldier was convicted of espionage, is only just back on free feet. It deprives her not to be a candidate for one of the most prestigious political posts.

Chelsea Manning wants to be a senator for the Democrats. “We live in difficult times. Times of fear, oppression and hatred, ” she says in the video that her candidacy announces …

Chelsea Manning wants to be a senator for the Democrats. “We live in difficult times. Times of fear, oppression and hatred, ” she says in the video that her candidacy is announced. Such times require leaders who are willing to fight, Manning.

About her fighting spirit, there is no doubt. They came only in may last year – after seven years in the cell where they commit suicide attempted to commit a sex-reassignment surgery underwent – and, subsequently, to one of the most prestigious political posts in the US.

Mass of documents leaked to WikiLeaks

Chelsea, who was still as a man walked through life and Bradley Manning called, was on may 26, 2010 arrested on his work place at the military intelligence service in Iraq. The 25-year-old soldier had 700.000 secret documents leaked to the klokkenluiderswebsite WikiLeaks of Julian Assange. A chat conversation with a hacker had betrayed him.

The documents contain information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, about the U.s. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay and on American politics in the Middle East. Furthermore, there were diplomatic e-mails with juicy notes of Us diplomats on world leaders. Spectacular was the video that showed how American soldiers in a convoy of the news agency Reuters under fire names.

Lonely, imprisoned, dishonorably discharged

Nine months brought Manning in solitary confinement, which, according to a researcher of the United Nations, amounted to ‘torture’. Eventually, he was, by a military court, found guilty of espionage and theft, but not to ‘aid the enemy’. He got 35 years in prison and was dishonorably discharged from the army.

Just before president Barack Obama from the White House, departed, he left Manning – who is now her first name in Chelsea had changed – early free.

Star on Twitter

At the time of her condemnation, couldn Manning on a lot of sympathy count. Many felt the punishment out of proportion for the harm. Or she also as a candidate-senator massive support can be expected, is far from certain.

Manning will undoubtedly be the spotlight to attract. She is a star on Twitter with 319.000 followers and became the figurehead of the liberal-left. But Maryland, the state where she is a candidate, is a rather sedate place, home of thousands of federal civil servants, and establishment of Fort Meade, where several intelligence services have their headquarters. About fighting spirit spoken.

‘Reign of terror’

Moreover, Mannings challenger in the Democratic primaries, Ben Cardin, twelve years of experience in the Senate. He established his reputation – o, irony – with research into the role of WikiLeaks in the recent presidential elections. Julian Assange, founder of the klokkenluiderswebsite, gave thousands of e-mails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign team and the Democratic party, which according to the spionagediensten were hacked by the Russian government in an attempt Donald Trump to win.

Manning has appeared, in contrast to Assange, to be a fierce opponent of Trump.

Yesterday she made her first pre-election ploy known: the abolition of the border – and immigration control. ‘The reign of terror must stop”, tweette them. As the hashtag for her campaign, she chose: #WeGotThis. If she wins, she is the first transgender in the Senate.