Boss: Manning Wasn’t Too Mentally Unstable To Work

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Pfc. Bradley Manning's former boss says the soldier's mental health problems ideally would have kept him from deploying to Iraq, but the Army needed his skills.

Retired Sgt. 1st Class Paul Adkins testified Tuesday he failed to immediately tell commanders when Manning emailed him a picture of himself dressed as a woman, attached to a letter titled, "My problem."

Adkins' testimony came during the sentencing hearing for the former intelligence analyst convicted of disclosing reams of classified information through WikiLeaks.

Adkins was reprimanded and demoted for failing to take actions that could have prevented commanders from deploying Manning and maintaining his top-secret security clearance.

He testified he kept Manning working despite his belief that Manning was mentally unstable.