GOP Congressman Mike Rogers Suggests Death Penalty For Wikileaks Whistleblower

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) says that execution would be an appropriate punishment for Private Bradley Manning in the wake of charges that he helped leak classified military documents to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

Michigan-based radio station WHMI reports on what Rogers had to say on the matter in an interview he conducted with the outlet on Monday:

The Brighton Republican sits on the House Intelligence Committee and told WHMI that Private Bradley Manning appears to be guilty of treason in time of war, which is a capital crime. He also criticized what he called a "culture of disclosure" for encouraging someone like Manning into thinking that the release of such sensitive information was a good thing.

"I argue the death penalty clearly should be considered here," explained Rogers. "He clearly aided the enemy to what may result in the death of U.S. soldiers or those cooperating. If that is not a capital offense, I don't know what is."

Manning is currently awaiting possible trial in solitary confinement at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. The AP reports:

Manning is also charged with illegally obtaining more than 150,000 classified State Department cables and leaking more than 50 of them. It's not clear from the charges, though, whether the allegedly diverted documents were those published on the WikiLeaks site.

Listen to the remarks from Congressman Mike Rogers here.

Comments

[Chad Lawson]

06:41 PM on 08/06/2010

There are some people that need to be executed but Private Manning is not one of them! They have called him unpatriotic, and even a terrorist but he did something that the entire United States Government refused to do; tell the truth! I can't think of anything more patriotic! He may be unpatriotic to the United States Government but he is a Hero to the People of the United States!

[maxwelldog]

03:32 PM on 08/05/2010

OK, I realize that Reagan is dead, but, since he armed, trained and supplied bin laden, can we drag his body out of the casket and shoot it a few times?
No??
OK, just asking.
Now, on the more serious side (really?) We were at war with bin laden when a certain president and his talking dog sidekick, Bush junior, took a tangent and declared war on a nation for no reason withing the grasp of reality...Can we put HIM up on charges?
Oh...the lawyers are still working on that?

Actually, you'de think that any member of the GOP would think twice before rolling out a guillotine.
After all, there's more than a few of us that would like to see some GOP heads roll.
And, gosh, since he has such a nifty haircut, how about Lieberman, too?

Whoever talked that boy out of the information is wrong enough to be charged with a war crime (if, indeed, there are actual lines of danger derived from same) but not the soldier.
KP, say for the rest of his tour, maybe.
Cleaning outhouses (really terrible job, that) but, geez, Rogers. Put your stupid gun away. We sure as heck aren't letting you go shoot anyone!

[ouroborous]

12:49 AM on 08/05/2010

Say it with me now: Overton window.

Nobody is seriously considering executing the whistleblower, but by saying this, it seems perfectly reasonable to, for instance, send him to prison for life (for doing exactly what Obama asked people to do when he was Candidate Obama). I mean hey, at least we're not executing him, right?

[baileywick]

01:46 PM on 08/04/2010

Taxpayer money to corporations to payoff Taliban to buy arms to kill American soldiers. Then it should be death to the corporations, since they now are considered citizens, eh?

[Dunkleberger Karl]

01:28 AM on 08/05/2010

Could a televised Hd ExecutioN of halaburton ! awEsome Idea! but do You know how? Cable Has thE NErve Yet can we trust faux news! haliburton?Who is REsPOnSIBLE?

[espressobeans]

01:44 PM on 08/04/2010

Yeah, because we didn't already know the war in Afghanistan wasn't a farce.

[tompoe]

10:02 PM on 08/04/2010

As opposed to Rove and co-conspirators outing CIA covert agent in order to cause as much harm to America as possible, right?

[JohnnyKay]

03:18 PM on 08/05/2010

You're both right.

[LanceThruster]

01:33 PM on 08/04/2010

Sorry. Make that "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town".

see: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3122896384/tt0066327 for pic

[LanceThruster]

02:08 PM on 08/04/2010

Missing part was that his jaw line looks like Fred Astaire's in the claymation xmas special "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - see: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3122896384/tt0066327

[mphalen]

01:22 PM on 08/04/2010

That guy looks like Meatloaf.

[Shrank]

01:17 AM on 08/05/2010

uhhhh... more like Meathead.

[Terroja Kincaid]

01:00 PM on 08/04/2010

America: where we kill those who tell us the truth and elect those who lie to us.

[wyldthings]

12:54 PM on 08/04/2010

I have a question for many. I support the repeal of DADT. Do you think that Pvt. Manning has helped or hurt the cause. It's being reported that he was mad at breaking up with his Boyfriend and that's when he released the Documents!

[Joan Jacobs]

12:53 PM on 08/04/2010

Whatever happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"? This Congressman (and btw, his picture makes him look somewhat unhinged) has tried, convicted, and sentenced this young man b/4 he's even heard the charges against him. Currently he's due to be tried by the military for allegedly releasing a video that shows US military (again allegedly) bombing civilians either in Iraq or Afghanistan - I'm not sure which. The 'wikileak' information isn't even part of that trial. I think the Congressman, who certainly has the right to his own opinion, has jumped the gun a little here. It might be better to wait for the facts to be presented. "Better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth & remove all doubts". I'm not sure where that quote comes from, but it seems to apply here.

[totough111]

07:53 PM on 08/05/2010

Not that bright are you, The military is guilty until proven innocent. Secondly, you obviously have no idea what it means when he signed up for the military and was GRANTED a secret clearance. It gave him the ability to see what he did, but also gave the US government/military the ability to do with him as they please if he doesn't do what he is told. It's all in black and white, and guess what he didn't say kill him, he said if he did kill him. But then again you just want to distort words don't you. Go suck Obama's teet.

[Joan Jacobs]

09:56 AM on 08/06/2010

Not that open minded - are you? Or particularly polite! In answer to your comment, I was referring to a United States Congressman, who even before a military tribunal is convened has tried, convicted, and sentenced the person involved. Like you - he's jumping the gun.

[lesterbud]

12:32 PM on 08/04/2010

I might agree, if that penalty also applied to those involved in outing CIA agents and sending our brave young men and women to fight an illegal war in Iraq.

[totough111]

07:53 PM on 08/05/2010

Can you say the stuff he released was about the Afgan war, did you read anything?

[LonosCurse]

11:48 AM on 08/04/2010

While we are talking about severe penalties, how 'bout a little sumptin sumptin for the senators and congressmen who are trashing the country in order to create issues for the midterms?

[DevonTexas]

12:10 PM on 08/04/2010

Good point. The GOP in Congress does more damage to the US that this kid could ever have done. He simply made the military transparent. More than I can say for the still secret Cheney Energy discussions that got us into these wars!

[totough111]

07:55 PM on 08/05/2010

Yes secret enough that you know about them? Dude seriously pull more conspiracy theories out of your butt. Oh and Obama is the savior now isnt he. We are already out of Iraq and Afghanistan.... Oh wait no we aren't. I guess he didnt actually mean what he said now did he. Shows what you know lets all trust a politician that will say whatever they can to get elected.

[RedKnuckles]

11:45 AM on 08/04/2010

By Rogers' line of thought, those that outed a covert CIA officer in the Bush administration should also get the death penalty. I'm not holding my breath for any consistency on the part of republicans....

[DevonTexas]

12:13 PM on 08/04/2010

lol. good point. But remember the Abu Garaib (sp) incidents where it was the low-level soldiers that got the axe, not the Pentagon officials who instigated it? This is the same. A low-level grunt gets prosecuted but the crimes committed by those in power get away with it.

[totough111]

07:57 PM on 08/05/2010

You really aren't that bright are you. Really they were ordered to degrade people? Really, so your saying some General walked up and said, Private strip that inmate down and stand on him then take a picture right? No one instigated them to do it, stop passing off trash as real facts.

[interlude]

11:34 AM on 08/04/2010

Of course there is no real basis for this. There rarely is for ideas most pugcons spew. The worrisome part is that he thinks his constituents want to hear this. Hope it doesn't turn into the intolerant Alabama of the 1960s.

[TeraWatt60]

11:07 AM on 08/04/2010

Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security
---- Benjamin Franklin

The exposure of the total botching of the Afghan War during the Bush Error and compounding the mistake in the Obama Administration, because of the "national security/soft on terror" is not worthy of Death anymore than those who torture and spy on us and then pull the "If you have nothing to hide B.S." when confronted are worthy of life

[wmholt]

12:52 PM on 08/04/2010

Fanned!