Obama to defend Manning decision at news conference today

January 18, 2017 at 10:17a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is expected to defend his decision to shorten the sentence of convicted leaker Chelsea Manning when he holds his final news conference today at 2:15 p.m.

Obama plans to answer reporters’ questions at the White House, two days before he leaves office.

Manning asked Obama last November to commute her 35-year sentence for giving classified government and military documents to the WikiLeaks website.

Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning at the time of her arrest, is more than six years into the sentence. She will be released from prison in May.

Republicans have blasted the decision, with House Speaker Paul Ryan calling it “outrageous.”

Ryan says Obama has set a “dangerous precedent” that anyone guilty of who compromises U.S. national security won’t have to pay for their crimes.