AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File
FORT MEADE, Md. -- An Army private charged with sending reams of
classified documents to WikiLeaks is returning to Fort Meade for a
pretrial hearing about whether his motivation matters.
Prosecutors
are asking the military judge to bar the defense from producing
evidence at trial regarding Pfc. Bradley Manning's motive for allegedly
causing the online publication of hundreds of thousands of secret war
logs and diplomatic cables. The four-day hearing begins Tuesday.
Manning
allegedly told an online confidant he leaked the material because he
wanted people to see the truth. He has offered to take responsibility in
a pending plea offer. But he still could face trial on charges that
include aiding the enemy.
Prosecutors say Manning's motive is irrelevant to whether he leaked the material knowing it would be seen by al-Qaeda.
USA Today