While many have welcomed President Barack Obama’s commutation of Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence, a number of US elites, particularly Republicans, have decried her impending release.
Instead of serving out her sentence until 2045, Manning will now be released on May 17.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) called it “outrageous,” as “Manning’s treachery put American lives at risk.”
READ MORE: Obama commutes much of Chelsea Manning's sentence
Ryan’s sentiments were echoed by a number of fellow Republicans, with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also talking about lives that were “put at risk,” and described Obama’s decision as “a slap in the face” for President-elect Donald Trump.
The 2008 Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the commutation was “a grave mistake that will encourage further acts of espionage.”
GOP members and ex-military officials called Manning a “traitor” for her whistleblowing.
Former New York Times columnist and current Fox News contributor Judith Miller was blasted on social media after kicking off the “How many people have died” chorus as a result of Manning’s leaks following Tuesday’s announcement. But she wasn’t the only media personality to excoriate Manning.
READ MORE: Body count: Judith Miller slammed on Twitter for saying Manning leaks killed people
READ MORE: ‘This is awesome’: Twitter reacts as Obama cuts Chelsea Manning’s sentence