Chelsea Manning To Be 'Guardian' Columnist

Updated at 11:33 a.m., Wednesday

Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for being behind the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history, will write an opinion column for The Guardian's U.S. website, the site's editor-in-chief said.

Politico, quoting a Guardian memo, reported the announcement was one of several hires at the organization. Manning, who is serving her sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., will not be paid, Guardian US Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner said in a tweet. Also, Manning's columns won't be on a set schedule.

In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick.

AP

In a column last year for The New York Times, Manning outlined the rationale for her actions, saying she leaked the documents out of "a love for my country and a sense of duty to others."

In a subsequent column for The Guardian, Manning wrote about the U.S. strategy against the self-described Islamic State, noting that "only a very focused and consistent strategy of containment can be effective in reducing the growth and effectiveness of [the group] as a threat." In another column for The Guardian, this one in December, Manning wrote about the challenges of being a transgender woman.

Manning began the transition last year.