Evidence Of Damage From Bradley Manning Leaks To Be Shown

By DAVID DISHNEAU, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT MEADE, Md. — The government's contention that Pfc. Bradley Manning harmed national security by leaking U.S. secrets is getting a more public airing.

Three of the four witnesses who have testified so far at his sentencing hearing gave most of their evidence in a closed courtroom to protect classified information. Friday's witnesses are both scheduled to testify in open court at Fort Meade, near Baltimore.

Prosecutors haven't yet released the names of those witnesses. Their testimony is meant to bolster the case for a long prison term for the Army private who gave hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the WikiLeaks website.

Manning faces up to 136 years in prison for Espionage Act violations and other crimes. He says he leaked the material to expose wrongdoing.