Bradley Manning Defers His Plea In WikiLeaks Case

The Army private accused of leaking a huge cache of classified information to the website WikiLeaks deferred his plea, today.

In an arraignment before a military judge at Fort Meade in Maryland, Bradley Manning also put off a decision on whether to be tried by military jury or military judge.

The AP reports:

"Manning faces 22 counts, including aiding the enemy. That charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The others carry a combined maximum of 150 years. He allegedly gave the anti-secrecy website more than 700,000 documents and video clips.

"Defense lawyers say Manning was troubled and shouldn't have had access to classified material. Manning, 24, is a native of Crescent, Okla. He has been locked up since May 2010."

No trial date has been set for the case.

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