WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning on Tuesday, allowing the Army intelligence officer who leaked scores of classified documents to go free nearly three decades early. White House officials said Obama would grant clemency to more individuals on Thursday — his final day in office — but that batch was not expected to include prominent individuals like Manning. White House officials said the president was inclined to grant clemency to Manning because she had expressed remorse for her crimes and had served several years of her sentence. Manning's commutation came as Obama, days before leaving office, wielded his clemency powers with newfound vigor. White House officials didn't say Tuesday whether there were sealed charges against Assange, but insisted his pledge to surrender to the U.S. didn't play into Obama's decision to commute Manning's sentence.

Source: Economic Times January 17, 2017 23:24 UTC