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March 8, 2019, 3:45 PM GMT/ UpdatedMarch 8, 2019, 11:50 PM GMT

By Pete Williams and Elisha Fieldstadt

Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning was jailed Friday after refusing to answer questions from a federal grand jury in Virginia looking into the release of documents to WikiLeaks.

U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton told Manning that she would remain in federal custody until she purges or the end of the life of the grand jury, a statement from her representatives said.

Manning told reporters earlier in the day that she was prepared to go to jail following the closed contempt hearing.

On Wednesday, Manning appeared before the same grand jury, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, but refused to answer any questions.

"I responded to each question with the following statement: I object to the question and refuse to answer on the grounds that the question is in violation of my First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment, and other statutory rights," Manning said in a statement.

"All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010 answers I provided in extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013," the statement said.

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking a trove of military intelligence records to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks. Her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017 after seven years behind bars.

On Friday federal prosecutor Tracy McCormick and Manning's attorneys, Moira Meltzer-Cohen and Christopher Leibig, argued over the terms of Manning's incarceration.

Her representatives wanted the government to order her confined to home as a result of a recent operation -- ostensibly a gender-reassignment procedure that was reported in the fall -- and her need for prescription drug treatment.

The government argued that the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center, run by the sheriff of Alexandria, Virginia, could handle Manning's medical needs.

McCormick said Manning would be housed with women, but she otherwise gave no specific guarantees and said one unspecified drug would be out of the question.

"They have no issue with the prescribed hormones needed," the prosecutor said, referring to the jail's medical staff. "They do have an issue with the narcotic because that is just not allowed in a detention center."

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said in a statement, "We will work closely with the U.S. Marshals to ensure her proper care while she remains at our facility."

On Tuesday, a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia denied a motion filed by Manning's attorneys challenging a subpoena calling her to testify, according to her lawyers.

Manning told The Associated Press that she didn't know what case was about.

"I just know there were an awful lot of government lawyers there," she said Tuesday after her motion was denied.

"Grand juries are terrible, to say the least," Manning, 31, added.

Manning's support committee, Chelsea Resists!, called the grand jury system "dangerous and undemocratic."

"Grand juries operate in secret, allowing the government to retaliate against activists and dissidents behind closed doors," said a statement from the committee released by Manning's lawyers.

Donald Trump and his administration have publicly declared their disdain for Chelsea, and for President Obamas decision to commute her sentence," the Chelsea Resists! statement said. "Chelsea has stood by the testimony from her 2013 court-martial, and this subpoena serves no legitimate purpose. It is a punitive effort to reverse Obamas legacy, exposing Chelsea to legal hardship and possible imprisonment."

Pete Williams is an NBC News correspondent who covers the Justice Department and the Supreme Court, based in Washington.

Elisha Fieldstadt is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Dennis Romero contributed.

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Chelsea Manning jailed for refusing to testify before grand ...

Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army analyst who served seven years in prison for leaking a trove of classified information, was found in contempt of court and taken into custody Friday after refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks.

Manning was ordered to jail by U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton after a brief hearing in which Manning confirmed she had no intention of testifying. She told the judge she will accept whatever you bring upon me.

CHELSEA MANNING AGAIN TWEETS 'F--- THE POLICE' ON LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY

Manning reportedly objects to the secrecy of the grand jury process andsaid she's already revealed everything she knows during her court-martial. The judge ordered Manning to remain behind bars until she testifies or until the grand jury concludes its work.

"These secret proceedings tend to favor the government," Manning told reporters before her hearing, according to The Washington Post. "Im always willing to explain things publicly."

Mannings lawyers have asked she be confined to her home instead due tothe medical complications she faces.

Chelsea Manning was ordered to jail Friday, March 8, 2019, for refusing to testify to a Virginia grand jury investigating Wikileaks. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat)

The judge,however, concluded U.S. Marshals could appropriately handle her medical care.

Manning told reporters she expected to be jailed and that she had already invoked her First, Fourth and Sixth Amendment protections when she appeared before a grand jury in Alexandria on Wednesday.

Manning served seven years of a 35-year military sentence for leaking military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks before then-President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

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Prosecutor Tracy McCormick said Manning can easily end the incarceration on the civil charge by testifying.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Chelsea Manning in custody after refusing to testify before ...

Chelsea Manning, an anti-secrecy activist and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst whose release of classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010 sparked worldwide controversy over transparency in the military and whistleblower protections, was taken into custody at a federal court on Friday after a federal judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions before a secret grand jury.

In late January, Manning was subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury in a sealed case out of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia -- the same district in which the government recently inadvertently revealed the existence of a sealed indictment against WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

On Friday, after refusing to answer the grand jurys questions, U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton found Manning in contempt of court and ordered her to be held in jail until she decides to testify or until the grand jury concludes its work -- which could be up to 18 months, a lawyer for Manning said.

In a statement released earlier this week, Manning said she was prepared to face the consequences of her refusal to answer the panels questions.

A judge will consider the legal grounds for my refusal to answer questions in front of a grand jury, Manning said. The court may find me in contempt, and order me to jail.

Addressing reporters afterward on Friday, an attorney for Manning, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, suggested she may appeal the judges ruling.

I think its quite likely, Meltzer-Cohen said. This is an appealable order.

Mannings latest incarceration drew ire and concern from Meltzer-Cohen, who called the decision "an act of tremendous cruelty and expressed concern for Mannings health and safety in the Alexandria, Va., detention center.

But during Fridays hearing most of which was conducted in secret, although reporters were allowed to enter for part the government prosecutor assigned to the case, Tracy McCormick, assured Mannings defense counsel that Manning would receive proper medical attention and privacy, adding that Manning could free herself by cooperating with the court.

The government does not want to confine Ms. Manning, McCormick said. She could change her mind right now and decide to testify."

Meltzer-Cohen thanked the government, which she said "bent over backwards to accommodate [Manning's medical] needs."

In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the unauthorized disclosure of classified materials made public by WikiLeaks in 2010. The leaks included millions of diplomatic cables and a video from July 2007 of a U.S. helicopter in Baghdad firing on a group of civilians that killed two Reuters photographers and wounded two children.

Her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017.

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23:29 08.03.2019(updated 02:39 09.03.2019) Get short URL

US whistleblower Chelsea Manning issued a statement shortly after her arrest Friday, confirming that she has no intention of complying with the grand jury she's been summoned before. The grand jury wants to question her with regard to her 2010 public disclosures of military and diplomatic secrets.

"I will not comply withthis, or any other grand jury. Imprisoning me formy refusal toanswer questions only subjects me toadditional punishment formy repeatedly-stated ethical objections tothe grand jury system," the statement reads.

"The grand jury's questions pertained todisclosures fromnine years ago, and took place six years afteran in-depth computer forensics case, inwhich I testified foralmost a full day aboutthese events. I stand bymy previous public testimony."

Manning went onto note that she "will not participate ina secret process that I morally object to, particularly one that has been historically used toentrap and persecute activists forprotected political speech."

The whistleblower's statement came aftershe was arrested Friday when a federal judge found her incontempt ofcourt forrefusing torespond toany and all questions beforea grand jury.

Moira Meltzer-Cohen, Manning's attorney, told reporters outsidea federal courthouse inVirginia that her client can be held forthe term ofthe grand jury, noting that Manning's detainment can't last more than18 months.

However, when asked whether Manning would be held forthe full 18-month period, Meltzer-Cohen said that "we are not there yet."

"As everybody knows, Chelsea has tremendous courage," the attorney said. "Our primary concern atthis point is her health while she is confined, and we will be paying close attention."

Manning appeared Wednesday beforea grand jury atthe US District Court forthe Eastern District ofVirginia, butrefused toanswer questions, citing the First, Fourth and Sixth Amendments ofthe US Constitution, Sputnik previously reported.

"The court's decision toimprison Chelsea Manning forrefusing tocomply witha grand jury is pointless, punitive, and cruel," a statement fromManning's Support Committee reads.

"It is no secret that members ofthe current administration have openly expressed their hatred forChelsea. Donald Trump himself has tweeted abouthis desire toundo Barack Obama's commutation and put Chelsea back injail. We reject the logic that Chelsea should comply and answer questions regarding events forwhich she has already provided ample testimony, and we condemn the government's punitive efforts toback her intoa corner."

According toLaw & Crime, the case that Manning's testimony was requested foris being handled bythe US Attorney's Office forthe Eastern District ofVirginia, the very same US attorney's office that previously accidentally pasted language referring topossible criminal charges againstWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange intolegal documents abouta separate case. Although the office did own upto the mistake, it did not confirm or deny whether charges were going tobe filed againstAssange, who is currently staying put insidethe Ecuadorian embassy inLondon outof fear ofbeing extradited tothe US.

Ann Wright, a former US State Department official who resigned inprotest ofthe invasion ofIraq, told Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clearon Friday that she was "horrified" tolearn ofManning's arrest. She also indicated that any information regarding Manning's knowledge ofthe 2010 disclosures were already detailed ingovernment records.

In response tothe latest development, friends and associates ofManning have created a fund tohelp cover any ofher legal costs.

Manning was previously sentenced to35 years inprison forhanding overinternal documents toWikiLeaks. Her sentence was commuted bythen-US President Barack Obama in2017 asone ofhis last official acts. She served seven years behindbars.

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From Jail, Chelsea Manning Blasts Grand Jury's Secret ...

Washington (AFP) - Chelsea Manning, who spent more than three years in prison for leaking US military secrets to WikiLeaks, was jailed again Friday for refusing to testify in a grand jury investigation targeting the anti-secrecy group.

US District Judge Claude Hilton ruled Manning in contempt of court and ordered her held not as punishment but to force her testimony in the secret case, according to a spokesman for the US attorney in the Alexandria, Virginia federal court.

"Chelsea Manning has been remanded into federal custody for her refusal to provide testimony," said a statement from the Sparrow Project, a support group for Manning.

They quoted Hilton as saying Manning would be held indefinitely "until she purges or the end of the life of the grand jury."

In a statement, Manning said she had "ethical" objections to the grand jury system and had answered all questions about her involvement with WikiLeaks years ago.

"I stand by my previous testimony," Manning said.

"I will not participate in a secret process that I morally object to, particularly one that has been historically used to entrap and persecute activists for protected political speech."

Manning, 31, was ordered to testify earlier this week for an investigation examining actions by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2010, according to her own description, inadvertent court revelations and media reports.

At the time Manning, a transgender woman then known as Bradley Manning, was a military intelligence analyst.

She delivered more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into WikiLeaks's hands.

The documents exposed cover-ups of possible war crimes and revealed internal US communications about other countries.

- 'Attack on media freedom' -

She became a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists, and her actions helped make WikiLeaks a force in the global anti-secrecy movement.

She was detained in 2010 and held in military jails for investigation before finally being brought to trial in 2013.

In August that year she was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

She spent more than three years more in an all-male prison, during which she underwent gender transition therapy, spent time in solitary confinement and attempted suicide twice.

President Barack Obama later commuted her sentence, leading to her release in May 2017.

In court Friday, Manning's lawyer requested home confinement after the judge found her in contempt, according to the US attorney's spokesman.

But she was jailed in the Alexandria Detention Center which, according to the judge, is experienced in holding transgender inmates and capable of addressing any special personal and medical needs Manning may have.

The grand jury investigation could eventually herald a case focused on media freedoms.

The US government has been investigating Assange and WikiLeaks for years and has stepped up its efforts against the Britain-based group after it served as an outlet for internal Democratic communications that Washington alleges were stolen by hackers from Russia's GRU intelligence agency during the 2016 US election.

Fearing arrest and extradition to the United States, Assange has been sheltering in Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012.

He says WikiLeaks's publishing of US secrets is no different than what the mass media does and he should enjoy the same protections as journalists.

Reacting to Manning being sent to jail Friday, WikiLeaks said in a tweet: "Whistleblowers are now being forced to testify against journalists and sent to jail when they don't cooperate. A new angle in the attack on media freedom."

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Chelsea Manning jailed for refusal to testify in WikiLeaks case

Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, a former US Army analyst who leaked troves classified information to WikiLeaks, was jailed again on Friday after she refused to testify in front of a grand jury that is reportedly probing WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, according to numerous news outlets.

Despite being accused of no crime, Manning faces up to 18 months in jail as part of a civil contempt sanction.

"Chelsea can be incarcerated for the remainder of the grand jury [up to 18 months], and the term of the grand jury can be extended by six months," Manning's attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen told INSIDER.

Moira Meltzer-Cohen said Manning was held in contempt of court under the "the recalcitrant witness statute," which specifically pertains to "someone who is refusing to give testimony before a grand jury."

Despite being accused of no crime, the statute allows individuals to be confined "in a 'suitable place,'" for no more than 18 months, while the grand jury is underway.

"The only lawful purpose for such confinement is to coerce them to change their mind and give testimony. So they can't be punished for a refusal to testify, but they may be 'civilly confined' to see if they will agree to change their mind and give testimony," said Meltzer-Cohen.

Read more: Whistleblower Chelsea Manning arrested after refusing to testify in secret WikiLeaks case

"Today's decision was not unexpected, but it's an appealable order," she continued.

The Justice Department's website echoes Meltzer-Cohen, saying, "civil contempt sanctions which are designed to compel future compliance with a court order are coercive and avoidable through obedience, and 'thus may be imposed in an ordinary civil proceeding upon notice and an opportunity to be heard. Neither a jury trial nor proof beyond a reasonable doubt is required.'"

In a statement, Manning said she refused to answer the questions of the grand jury, whose proceedings are under seal. In response to each question, she said she answered, "I object to the question and refuse to answer on the grounds that the question is in violation of my First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment, and other statutory rights."

"All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010 answers I provided in extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013," her statement continued.

WikiLeaks alleged in January that federal prosecutors have been working to secure testimony for a grand jury pertaining to criminal charges being levied by the Trump administration.

In a statement, Manning's support committee, Chelsea Resists, called the ruling punitive, and pointed to previous statements from President Donald Trump about Manning, saying, "It is no secret that members of the current administration have openly expressed their hatred for Chelsea. Donald Trump himself has tweeted about his desire to undo Barack Obama's commutation and put Chelsea back in jail."

The judge rejected Manning's lawyer's request that she be confined at home due to medical and safety concerns.

"It has always been our intent and hope for her to testify and comply with the valid court order and valid grand jury investigation," federal prosecutor Tracy Doherty-McCormick said in a statement relayed to The New York Times. "Ms. Manning could change her mind right now and do so. It is her choice. This is a rule of law issue, and Ms. Manning is not above the law."

Manning isn't the first high-profile person to face jail after allegations of civil contempt. Susan McDougal spent 18 months in jail after she refused to answer three questions pertaining to the Whitewater scandal that surrounded President Bill Clinton, according to CNN.

In 2006, Greg F. Anderson, personal trainer to then-San Francisco Giants' player Barry Bonds, was held in contempt twice after refusing to testify for two different grand juries investigating perjury charges against Bonds. Anderson was held in jail for over a year until Bonds was indicted in 2007.

In February, an appeals court sided with a lower court in ruling that Roger Stone associate Andrew Miller was in contempt for refusing to testify in front of a Mueller grand jury, according to CNN. It's not clear whether Miller will testify, continue to fight the subpoena, or be jailed.

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Chelsea Manning could face 18 months in jail after grand jury ...

Chelsea Manning, the former US army analyst and whistleblower who leaked troves of classified material to WikiLeaks in 2010, was arrested on Friday after she reportedly refused to testify in front of a Virginia grand jury about her interactions with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

"I've found you in contempt," Judge Claude M. Hilton told Manning at the public ruling, according to The Washington Post. He said Manning will be jailed "either until you purge yourself or the end of the life of the grand jury."

Manning said in a statement on Twitter that she had been summoned to appear before a secret grand jury on Wednesday. In response to each question, she said she answered, "I object to the question and refuse to answer on the grounds that the question is in violation of my First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment, and other statutory rights."

"All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010 answers I provided in extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013," her statement continued.

In January, WikiLeaks said federal prosecutors were working to get witnesses to testify against Assange in secret criminal proceedings being conducted by the Trump administration.

Read more: US prosecutors press witnesses to testify against Assange: WikiLeaks

Before the ruling, Manning told reporters, "I don't believe in the grand jury process; I don't believe in the secrecy of this."

Manning's lawyer, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, called the arrest an "an act of tremendous cruelty," according to The Post.

Manning was imprisoned for seven years out of a 35-year sentence stemming from multiple counts under the Espionage Act. In 2017, she was released after President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

Manning has said she suffered from mental-health problems in prison, where she attempted to commit suicide twice. During her incarceration, she spoke out about her treatment in the justice system as a transgender woman.

Throughout her sentence, she was housed in a men's prison despite undergoing hormone and speech therapy as part of her transition.

Meltzer-Cohen commended prosecutors in the current case for working to address Manning's medical needs, and Hilton said the court was available if US Marshals failed to address them, according to The Post.

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Chelsea Manning arrested after refusing to testify in ...

FILE PHOTO: Chelsea Manning speaks at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Suzanne Cordeiro/File Photo

(Reuters) - Chelsea Manning on Tuesday lost a bid to quash a subpoena compelling her to testify in front of a grand jury, according to media reports and a group supporting her.

Manning is a transgender U.S. Army soldier who served seven years in military prison for leaking classified data while she was working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. She was granted clemency by former U.S. President Barack Obama.

Manning is expected to return to the courthouse in Alexandria on Wednesday, according to Chelsea Resists!, a group that supports her.

It is not clear why Manning is being compelled to appear in court. In remarks made outside the Virginia courthouse, Manning said she opposed grand juries in general and that her team thinks they still have grounds to litigate, the Washington Post reported.

Manning was convicted by court-martial in 2013 of espionage and other crimes because she furnished more than 70,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks, an organization that publishes information from anonymous sources.

In November, U.S. prosecutors revealed they were pursuing a criminal case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and had obtained a sealed indictment against him.

Lawyers for Manning and representatives from the courthouse did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Tom Brown

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Chelsea Manning loses bid to quash subpoena in Virginia | Reuters

US whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been jailed for contempt of court after refusing to give evidence to a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks.

Sending her to a federal prison on Friday, US District Judge Claude Hilton said she will remain behind bars until she testifies, or until the grand jury finishes its inquiry.

The former US Army intelligence analyst told the judge she "will accept whatever you bring upon me".

Manning, 31, has said she objects to the secrecy of the grand jury process, and that she already revealed everything she knows at her court martial.

Her lawyers had asked that she be sent to home confinement instead of jail, because of medical complications she faces.

The judge said US Marshals can handle her treatment needs.

Manning was convicted of espionage and other offences by court-martial in 2013.

She leaked some 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to WikiLeaks while she was an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2010.

Sentenced to 35 years in jail, she was released in 2017 after former US president Barack Obama commuted her sentence.

Previously known as Private Bradley Manning, the former soldier now chooses to identify as a woman and underwent gender transition while in jail.

Among the documents she released were millions of diplomatic cables and a 2007 video of a US helicopter in Baghdad firing on a group of civilians that killed two Reuters photographers and wounded two children.

On Wednesday, Manning appeared before the same grand jury, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, but refused to answer any questions.

The day before, Manning told The Associated Press that she didn't know what case she was being called to testify about and said: "Grand juries are terrible, to say the least."

Manning's support committee, Chelsea Resists!, called the grand jury system "dangerous and undemocratic".

"Grand juries operate in secret, allowing the government to retaliate against activists and dissidents behind closed doors," said a statement from the committee released by Manning's lawyers."

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Chelsea Manning: US whistleblower jailed for refusing to ...

WASHINGTON Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who sent archives of secret military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, said on Thursday that she had refused to answer questions about her interactions with the antisecrecy organization before a grand jury and might be sent to jail as soon as Friday.

Ms. Manning had been imprisoned for about seven years before President Barack Obama commuted most of the remainder of her 35-year sentence in 2017, and she was released from a military prison in May of that year. Her defiance of the subpoena means she may be imprisoned again after a judge holds a closed hearing about her legal arguments and whether to hold her in contempt of court.

The court may find me in contempt and order me to jail, she said in a statement, adding: In solidarity with many activists facing the odds, I will stand by my principles. I will exhaust every legal remedy available. My legal team continues to challenge the secrecy of these proceedings, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my refusal.

Ms. Manning also confirmed that as widely suspected prosecutors wanted to ask her about WikiLeaks. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia have been investigating the organization for years, and inadvertently revealed last year that they had charged its leader, Julian Assange, under seal.

All of the substantive questions pertained to my disclosures of information to the public in 2010 answers I provided in extensive testimony, during my court-martial in 2013, Ms. Manning said.

Prosecutors had bestowed legal immunity on Ms. Manning for her testimony, she said, but she responded to each question by saying she refused to answer because it violated her constitutional rights.

It had not been clear what the charge against Mr. Assange, who has been living for years in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid arrest, pertained to: WikiLeaks role in publishing leaked, classified documents, or its role in publishing the Democratic emails stolen by Russian government hackers during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The disclosure that prosecutors are newly refocused on Ms. Mannings early interactions with the organization indicates that the case most likely relates to the publication of classified information a case that would raise novel First Amendment issues. The Obama administration had weighed charging Mr. Assange in connection with Ms. Mannings disclosures, but decided against it over fears of chilling investigative journalism.

After Ms. Manning disclosed her subpoena to The New York Times last week, The Daily Beast reported that David House, an activist and member of a support network for Ms. Manning during the 2010-11 era of legal and activist wrangling over WikiLeaks publication of her leaks, had been granted immunity and testified last year before the same grand jury about his interactions with the group.

Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, declined to comment.

Judge Claude M. Hilton, who was appointed to the Federal District Court in that district by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, will decide whether to accept Ms. Mannings arguments for why she had a right to refuse to answer the questions or to send her to jail. He previously declined her request to quash the subpoena before she knew what she would be asked.

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Chelsea Manning Says She May Be Jailed for Contempt of Court ...