IN CLOSING

Defense: Manning Meant Well

Calls the Army private a "good-intentioned soldier."

As one whistleblowing scandal rages on another is coming to a quiet close. On Thursday, a prosecutor delivered closing arguments in the trial of Bradley Manning, an Army private who leaked U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks in 2010. The day after Manning was called a "traitor" and "anarchist," his defense attorney had his turn. In the counter-narrative, Manning was called "a good-intentioned soldier who had human life and his humanist beliefs center to his decisions" and that his actions were intended to improve public knowledge and debate. It's up to a single judge to determine which story wins out. But either way, it holds massive consequences for future leakers.