HAGERSTOWN, Maryland U.S. soldier Bradley Manning, who is now referring to himself as \"Chelsea Manning,\" is seeking a presidential pardon for sending classified information to WikiLeaks, which he says he did \"out of a love for my country and sense of duty to others,\" according to documents released Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, sent the Petition for Pardon\/Commutation of Sentence on Tuesday to President Barack Obama through the U.S. Justice Department, and to Army Secretary John M. McHugh.<\/p>\n
The White House said last month that any Manning request for a presidential pardon would be considered like any other.<\/p>\n
Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for disclosing the classified military and diplomatic information while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2010.<\/p>\n
It was the largest-volume leak of classified material in U.S. history. Manning got the longest sentence ever for disclosing U.S. government secrets to others for publication.<\/p>\n
The Obama administration has cracked down on security breaches, charging seven people with leaking to the media. Only three were prosecuted under all previous presidents combined.<\/p>\n
Manning signed the petition with his legal name, \"Bradley Manning,\" not Chelsea. Coombs has said anything having to do with the pardon or court-martial would have to be in Bradley's name. Prison officials say Manning would have to get a legal name change to be known as Chelsea.<\/p>\n
Manning has said he wants to live as a woman and receive hormone therapy for gender dysphoria - the sense that he is physically the wrong gender.<\/p>\n
Manning wrote in the petition that he started questioning the morality of U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan while reading secret military reports daily in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Manning acknowledged he broke the law, adding, \"I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States.\"<\/p>\n
At Manning's trial, government witnesses testified that some of the leaked information endangered information sources, forced ambassadors to be reassigned and were used as al-Qaida propaganda.<\/p>\n
Coombs wrote in a cover letter to Manning's petition that none of Manning's disclosures caused any \"real damage\" to the United States and that the documents were not sensitive information meriting protection.<\/p>\n
Documents submitted in support of Manning's petition include a letter from Amnesty International, which said the leaks exposed potential human rights violations.<\/p>\n
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