Video: Bradley Manning 'would do the same thing again', says defence lawyer At a news conference following the sentencing, Manning's lead attorney, David Coombs, said there needs to be more whistle-blowers like Bradley Manning. He went there with the goal of helping his command ensure that every soldier, every contractor got home safely, that even the local nationals got home safely. I think he would still be troubled, and was troubled by what he saw. I certainly believe that because of his strong sense of reality he would do the same thing.