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Journalist Kevin Gozstola, who is live-blogging the Manning trial, recaps the presentation by the defense, which was much shorter than expected, and comments on the key testimony presented.Read Gozstola’s dispatches here at FireDogLake. We open with a discussion of the corporate media’s limited interest in the Manning trial, as compared with the Zimmerman trial, and note that the outlets that exploited the WikiLeaks material Manning is accused of releasing should at least have self-interest in his case. We talk about the defense opening with the showing of the “collateral murder video”, the testimony of Col. Morris Davis that the Guantanamo files were not new or sensitive, testimony of Manning’s co-worker about the lax security at their base in Iraq, and other proceedings this week. We note that the defense only called 9 of the potential 40+ witnesses, and that the defense seemed to feel that the prosecution had not proved the most serious charges against Manning.
Next week, the judge will hear motions to dismiss a number of charges, and closing arguments could follow right away. Since it’s hard to see an acquittal, the focus shifts to the sentencing phase, where the defense may be able to introduce evidence that little or no harm has been caused by Manning’s actions.