FORT MEADE, Md. – A military judge in Maryland is poised to rule on whether some of the 22 charges against a soldier accused of giving government secrets to WikiLeaks should be dismissed.
Army Col. Denise Lind said she would rule Thursday on a defense motion to dismiss the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. That charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The defense argued Wednesday that Pfc. Bradley Manning did not have the "evil intent" necessary to prove he helped al-Qaida by causing classified information to be published on the anti-secrecy website.
The defense has asked Lind to dismiss five other counts and consolidate four more into two.
If all the motions were granted, Manning could still face more than 100 years in prison if convicted of the remaining charges.
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