Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who went to prison for leaking thousands of documents to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, may end up back behind bars. Manning is reportedly refusing to comply with a federal grand jury subpoena, which could result in a contempt charge.
A judge in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) upheld the subpoena earlier this week after Manning attempted to have it quashed.
It’s unclear what the government wants Manning to testify about, but as Law&Crime’s Matt Naham noted, the case is being handled by the same U.S. Attorney’s Office that accidentally included language in a court filing that appeared to reference a case against Assange.
EDVA U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger admitted the error, but would not confirm or deny whether charges have been filed against Assange under seal.
Manning’s refusal comes even after she implied that she didn’t know what the subpoena was for.
“We can speculate like anyone else,” Manning said, according to CNN.
Despite the mystery surrounding the subpoena, Manning appears adamant about not speaking, fully understanding the possible repercussions.
“The court may find me in contempt, and order me to jail,” Manning said, according to Washington Post reporter Rachel Weiner.
New statement from Chelsea Manning — she has refused to testify before grand jury. Another closed hearing is set for tomorrow am. “The court may find me in contempt, and order me to jail,” she says in statement.
— Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp) March 7, 2019
Manning served seven years in prison. Her 35-year sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama as one of the 44th president’s last official acts.
Update: Manning confirmed Thursday afternoon that she will face a contempt hearing on Friday. She said in a statement:
Yesterday, I appeared before a secret grand jury after being given immunity for my testimony. All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010—answers I provided in extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013. I responded to each question with the following statement: ‘I object to the question and refuse to answer on the grounds that the question is in violation of my First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment, and other statutory rights.
[Image via Jack Taylor/Getty Images]
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