Obama Gives Former Intelligence Officer Manning Early Release from Prison

President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday.  That will allow the former Army intelligence officer to be released three decades early. 

Formerly known as Bradley Manning, he later came out as transgender after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking more than 700,000 classified government and military documents to WikiLeaks. LGBT groups took up the cause and lobbied the president to grant clemency to Manning. 

Many conservatives and military people, however, were furious at the president's action.  House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the decision "outrageous" and said in a statement, "Chelsea Manning's treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation's most sensitive secrets."

Evidence also showed that the leaked documents ended up on Osama bin Laden's computer.

White House officials say the president was inclined to grant clemency to Manning because of his remorse expressed over the crimes and because he already served six years of his sentence. 

Manning is not the only one with a shortended sentence. Over 200 other inmates also had decreased sentences because of Obama's command. 

The president also pardonded 64 people, including Gen. James Cartwright, who was charged with making false statements during a probe into the disclosure of classified information. 

"These 273 individuals learned that our nation is a forgiving nation," said White House counsel Neil Eggleston, "where hard work and a commitment to rehabilitation can lead to a second chance, and where wrongs from the past will not deprive an individual of the opportunity to move forward."

The actions by Obama cannot be undone by President-elect Donald Trump. 

White House officials also said that Obama will grant clemency to more individuals on Thursday, his final day in office.