Transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking classified information, is seeking election in the US state of Maryland, a document seen on Saturday says.

The Federal Election Commission document, filed Thursday, lists Chelsea Elizabeth Manning of North Bethesda, Maryland, as a Democratic candidate for the United States senate.

Manning, now 30, was an army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The revelations by Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, exposed covered-up misdeeds and possible crimes by US troops and allies.

Her actions made Manning a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists but US establishment figures branded her a traitor.

Then-president Barack Obama commuted Manning&#39;s sentence, leading to her release in May.

During her incarceration, Manning battled for, and won, the right to start hormone treatment. On Twitter, she identifies herself as a &quot;trans woman,&quot; and carries the slogan: &quot;Make powerful people angry.&quot;

The Democratic Senate incumbent is Ben Cardin, who was first elected in 2006 and is the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In elections last year, transgender candidate Danika Roem was elected to the Virginia state House of Delegates, becoming the first openly transgender lawmaker in the United States.

US President Donald Trump has labeled Manning a traitor.

He also tried to bar transgender personnel from the military, but federal courts ruled against that ban.

Transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking classified information, is seeking election in the US state of Maryland, a document seen on Saturday says

Transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning, jailed for leaking classified information, is seeking election in the US state of Maryland, a document seen on Saturday says. The Federal Election Commission document, filed Thursday, lists Chelsea Elizabeth Manning of North Bethesda, Maryland, as a Democratic candidate for the United States senate. Manning, now 30, was an army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The revelations by Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, exposed covered-up misdeeds and possible crimes by US troops and allies. Her actions made Manning a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists but US establishment figures branded her a traitor. Then-president Barack Obama commuted Manning's sentence, leading to her release in May. During her incarceration, Manning battled for, and won, the right to start hormone treatment. On Twitter, she identifies herself as a "trans woman," and carries the slogan: "Make powerful people angry." The Democratic Senate incumbent is Ben Cardin, who was first elected in 2006 and is the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In elections last year, transgender candidate Danika Roem was elected to the Virginia state House of Delegates, becoming the first openly transgender lawmaker in the United States. US President Donald Trump has labeled Manning a traitor. He also tried to bar transgender personnel from the military, but federal courts ruled against that ban.

Transgender whistleblower Manning seeks US Senate seat

An unverified,&nbsp;anonymous whistle blower account, purporting to be a Republican mid-level staffer in the White House, described what they say is really going on inside&nbsp;Donald Trump&#39;s administration, before the account&nbsp;was quickly pulled from&nbsp;Twitter.&nbsp;

WION asked Twitter why the account was removed, and has not yet received a response. We will update if this changes.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Team <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter">@Twitter</a>, why was the account&nbsp;@WhiteHouseLeak&nbsp;removed from Twitter? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhiteHouseLeak?src=hash">#WhiteHouseLeak</a> <a href="https://t.co/8QrjECy6XE">pic.twitter.com/8QrjECy6XE</a>
&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/824497054999343105">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Before the account was removed, all 37 Tweets were&nbsp;screengrabbed:

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Well the @WhiteHouseLeak account got shut down... But not before I screen grabbed every post... <a href="https://t.co/XLyUpverKX">pic.twitter.com/XLyUpverKX</a>
&mdash; MC Rantz Hoseley (@MysteryCr8tve) <a href="https://twitter.com/MysteryCr8tve/status/824450267877777408">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Among&nbsp;the important WhiteHouseLeak&nbsp;claims:

<ul>
	<li>Trump believes that WikiLeaks is &quot;on his side&quot;, and wants to leak &quot;directly&quot; to them&nbsp;&quot;to corner his opponents&quot;.</li>
	<li>Trump&#39;s chief of staff Reince Priebus would have resigned if it wasn&#39;t for the personal intervention&nbsp;of&nbsp;Paul Ryan.</li>
	<li>Trump has &quot;No idea&quot; how to fix Obamacare. &quot;He still doesn&#39;t know what a high risk pool is.&quot;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>&quot;Deadly serious&quot;, Trump wants to send in the National Guard.</li>
	<li>Trump only wanted to investigate voter fraud in&nbsp;states he lost.</li>
	<li>Mike Pence has been swearing in nominees because several want distance from Trump, and do not want to be pictured with him.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

(WION)

Someone claiming to be a Republican mid-level staffer at the White House posted 37 Tweets about what they say is really happening inside

An unverified, anonymous whistle blower account, purporting to be a Republican mid-level staffer in the White House, described what they say is really going on inside Donald Trump's administration, before the account was quickly pulled from Twitter. WION asked Twitter why the account was removed, and has not yet received a response. We will update if this changes. Team @Twitter, why was the account @WhiteHouseLeak removed from Twitter? #WhiteHouseLeak pic.twitter.com/8QrjECy6XE — WION (@WIONews) January 26, 2017 × Before the account was removed, all 37 Tweets were screengrabbed: Well the @WhiteHouseLeak account got shut down... But not before I screen grabbed every post... pic.twitter.com/XLyUpverKX — MC Rantz Hoseley (@MysteryCr8tve) January 26, 2017 × Among the important WhiteHouseLeak claims: Trump believes that WikiLeaks is "on his side", and wants to leak "directly" to them "to corner his opponents". Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus would have resigned if it wasn't for the personal intervention of Paul Ryan. Trump has "No idea" how to fix Obamacare. "He still doesn't know what a high risk pool is." "Deadly serious", Trump wants to send in the National Guard. Trump only wanted to investigate voter fraud in states he lost. Mike Pence has been swearing in nominees because several want distance from Trump, and do not want to be pictured with him. (WION)

Alleged White House whistle-blower tweets about Trump's administration, account is removed

Unknown attackers have hacked into Russian whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova`s World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) records, the watchdog announced Saturday. 
 
The runner, who was excluded from the Rio Olympics and lives in hiding in the United States, has been a key source of information on accusations that the Russian government organised doping on a massive scale. 
 
WADA said that Stepanova`s password for her account with the agency had been &quot;illegally obtained, which allowed a perpetrator to access her account&quot;. 
 
Athletes have to detail their movements on the account so that dope testers know where they can be found.&nbsp; 
 
WADA said its security monitoring had &quot;noted that someone, other than Ms. Stepanova, had accessed her account. 
 
&quot;WADA immediately locked Ms. Stepanova`s account to prevent further access and notified her of the situation.&quot; 
 
The agency said it was monitoring whether other athletes had been caught up in the phishing attack, where users are tricked into giving their personal details. 
 
&quot;The agency confirmed that some users had received illegitimate emails that look as though they come from WADA, which ask users to click on a link and enter their personal credentials,&quot; a WADA statement said. 
 
&quot;We continue monitoring the situation to determine whether or not users have acted (or act) on these emails to ensure that data remains secure,&quot; it added. 
 
&quot;Unfortunately, like many organisations, WADA is not immune to attempted cyber-attacks... WADA is in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities.&quot; 
 
Separately, International Olympic Committee spokesman Marc Adams said the body was also undergoing &quot;particularly intense&quot; attacks from hackers during the Games. 
 
&quot;It`s not unusual to be subject to attempts to break our security... we come under regular attack from people trying to break into our security,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)

World Anti-Doping Agency says Russian athlete's account was 'illegally obtained, which allowed a perpetrator to access her account'

Unknown attackers have hacked into Russian whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova`s World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) records, the watchdog announced Saturday. The runner, who was excluded from the Rio Olympics and lives in hiding in the United States, has been a key source of information on accusations that the Russian government organised doping on a massive scale. WADA said that Stepanova`s password for her account with the agency had been "illegally obtained, which allowed a perpetrator to access her account". Athletes have to detail their movements on the account so that dope testers know where they can be found. WADA said its security monitoring had "noted that someone, other than Ms. Stepanova, had accessed her account. "WADA immediately locked Ms. Stepanova`s account to prevent further access and notified her of the situation." The agency said it was monitoring whether other athletes had been caught up in the phishing attack, where users are tricked into giving their personal details. "The agency confirmed that some users had received illegitimate emails that look as though they come from WADA, which ask users to click on a link and enter their personal credentials," a WADA statement said. "We continue monitoring the situation to determine whether or not users have acted (or act) on these emails to ensure that data remains secure," it added. "Unfortunately, like many organisations, WADA is not immune to attempted cyber-attacks... WADA is in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities." Separately, International Olympic Committee spokesman Marc Adams said the body was also undergoing "particularly intense" attacks from hackers during the Games. "It`s not unusual to be subject to attempts to break our security... we come under regular attack from people trying to break into our security," he said. (AFP)

Whistleblower Stepanova's account hacked by unknown attackers

A Russian whistleblower who helped uncover the biggest doping scandal in decades has said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is more concerned about protecting the organisation than ridding the sports world of drugs cheats. 
 
A day after the IOC rejected a request by his wife, former Russian drugs cheat Yulia Stepanova, to run in the Rio Games as an independent athlete, Vitaly Stepanov said an invite to attend the Rio Games as spectators felt like they were being bought. 
 
The IOC decided on Sunday not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes due to the country&#39;s doping history, allowing sports federations to decide on individual cases.&nbsp;However, it said athletes who have been sanctioned in the past for doping would not be eligible for Rio. 
 
&quot;My personal view, from the communications we had with people from the IOC, those people had no interest in clean sport,&quot; Stepanov said in a telephone interview. 
 
&quot;I got the impression the only thing they cared about, even the person from the ethics department, is protecting the IOC as an organisation.&quot; 
 
Stepanov, who previously worked for Russia&#39;s anti-doping agency, and his wife helped expose the doping scandal which threatened to exclude Russia from the Olympics. 
 
The couple now live in an undisclosed location in the United States, fearful for their lives.&nbsp;Stepanov said the invitation to travel to Rio to watch the Games left them cold. 
 
&quot;I felt like, &#39;Are you trying to buy us?&#39;&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;Is that how IOC treats whistleblowers? Make them quiet by giving them IOC accreditation and access to VIP lounges.&quot; 
 
A spokesman for the IOC could not be reached late on Monday for comment. 
 
Strong words, weak acts 
 
The IOC&#39;s decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes from the Rio Games, a ban which was requested by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), showed &quot;the IOC is not a leader in sport movement&quot;, Stepanov said. 
 
&quot;It says strong words but it acts weak.&quot; 
 
The couple have asked the IOC executive board (IOC EB) to review its decision. 
 
&quot;(We) cannot but be very disappointed that the IOC EB has obviously not been given the correct information by the IOC ethics commission,&quot; they said in a letter to IOC director general Christophe de Kepper. 
 
Stepanov&#39;s wife continues to train and was still hoping the IOC might change its mind, he said. 
 
&quot;She will never win another medal. It&#39;s more about her participating and trying to see how fast she can run by being an honest athlete,&quot; he added. 
 
The IOC recognised Stepanova&rsquo;s testimony and public statements as having &quot;made a contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes, fair play and the integrity and authenticity of sport.&quot; 
 
However, it also said neither she nor any Russian athlete with a doping past would be eligible for the Games.&nbsp;Stepanov said he had never talked to IOC president Thomas Bach about the case. &quot;Just one email exchange,&quot; he said. 
 
There also had been &quot;just one, one-hour conversation with one person from IOC ethics commission&quot;, he added. 
 
&quot;They write things like zero tolerance in doping, but you don&#39;t get that impression when you talk to people from IOC.&quot;&nbsp;Doping would never be brought under control &quot;until IOC members start caring about clean athletes and about clean sport and competition&quot;, Stepanov said. 
 
He cautioned that the IOC&#39;s stance on Russia was a green light to others engaged in doping. 
 
&quot;If you are doping in a system that is similar to Russia, continue doing so because there is no reason to fight it, because in the end the IOC will say they will not punish the system, but we will punish the whistleblower,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Stepanov, who had worked for Russia's anti-doping agency, and his wife exposed the scandal which threatened to exclude Russia from Olympics

A Russian whistleblower who helped uncover the biggest doping scandal in decades has said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is more concerned about protecting the organisation than ridding the sports world of drugs cheats. A day after the IOC rejected a request by his wife, former Russian drugs cheat Yulia Stepanova, to run in the Rio Games as an independent athlete, Vitaly Stepanov said an invite to attend the Rio Games as spectators felt like they were being bought. The IOC decided on Sunday not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes due to the country's doping history, allowing sports federations to decide on individual cases. However, it said athletes who have been sanctioned in the past for doping would not be eligible for Rio. "My personal view, from the communications we had with people from the IOC, those people had no interest in clean sport," Stepanov said in a telephone interview. "I got the impression the only thing they cared about, even the person from the ethics department, is protecting the IOC as an organisation." Stepanov, who previously worked for Russia's anti-doping agency, and his wife helped expose the doping scandal which threatened to exclude Russia from the Olympics. The couple now live in an undisclosed location in the United States, fearful for their lives. Stepanov said the invitation to travel to Rio to watch the Games left them cold. "I felt like, 'Are you trying to buy us?'" he said. "Is that how IOC treats whistleblowers? Make them quiet by giving them IOC accreditation and access to VIP lounges." A spokesman for the IOC could not be reached late on Monday for comment. Strong words, weak acts The IOC's decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes from the Rio Games, a ban which was requested by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), showed "the IOC is not a leader in sport movement", Stepanov said. "It says strong words but it acts weak." The couple have asked the IOC executive board (IOC EB) to review its decision. "(We) cannot but be very disappointed that the IOC EB has obviously not been given the correct information by the IOC ethics commission," they said in a letter to IOC director general Christophe de Kepper. Stepanov's wife continues to train and was still hoping the IOC might change its mind, he said. "She will never win another medal. It's more about her participating and trying to see how fast she can run by being an honest athlete," he added. The IOC recognised Stepanova’s testimony and public statements as having "made a contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes, fair play and the integrity and authenticity of sport." However, it also said neither she nor any Russian athlete with a doping past would be eligible for the Games. Stepanov said he had never talked to IOC president Thomas Bach about the case. "Just one email exchange," he said. There also had been "just one, one-hour conversation with one person from IOC ethics commission", he added. "They write things like zero tolerance in doping, but you don't get that impression when you talk to people from IOC." Doping would never be brought under control "until IOC members start caring about clean athletes and about clean sport and competition", Stepanov said. He cautioned that the IOC's stance on Russia was a green light to others engaged in doping. "If you are doping in a system that is similar to Russia, continue doing so because there is no reason to fight it, because in the end the IOC will say they will not punish the system, but we will punish the whistleblower," he said. (Reuters)

IOC has 'no interest in clean sport', says whistleblower

US anti-doping chiefs blasted the International Olympic Committee for creating &quot;a confusing mess&quot; over the Russian doping scandal, claiming they lacked &quot;decisive leadership&quot; by opting against a blanket Rio ban for Russia. 
 
The IOC decided against an all-out ban over state-run doping and left international sports federations with the job of clearing athletes for the Games which start on August 5. 
 
&quot;Disappointingly, in response to the most important moment for clean athletes and the integrity of the Olympic Games, the IOC has refused to take decisive leadership,&quot; said Travis T Tygart, the chief executive of USADA, the American anti-doping body. 
 
&quot;The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes.&quot; 
 
&quot;It is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment, they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the adequate expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation within the short window prior to the Games. The conflict of interest is glaring.&quot; 
 
USADA also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics. 
 
&quot;The decision to refuse her entry in to the Games is incomprehensible and contrary to CAS precedent. The attempt to enforce it will undoubtedly deter whistleblowers in the future from coming forward,&quot; said Tygart. 
 
(AFP)

The US anti-doping body also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics

US anti-doping chiefs blasted the International Olympic Committee for creating "a confusing mess" over the Russian doping scandal, claiming they lacked "decisive leadership" by opting against a blanket Rio ban for Russia. The IOC decided against an all-out ban over state-run doping and left international sports federations with the job of clearing athletes for the Games which start on August 5. "Disappointingly, in response to the most important moment for clean athletes and the integrity of the Olympic Games, the IOC has refused to take decisive leadership," said Travis T Tygart, the chief executive of USADA, the American anti-doping body. "The decision regarding Russian participation and the confusing mess left in its wake is a significant blow to the rights of clean athletes." "It is so frustrating that in this incredibly important moment, they would pass the baton to sports federations who may lack the adequate expertise or collective will to appropriately address the situation within the short window prior to the Games. The conflict of interest is glaring." USADA also hit out at the decision to ban doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova from taking part in the Olympics. "The decision to refuse her entry in to the Games is incomprehensible and contrary to CAS precedent. The attempt to enforce it will undoubtedly deter whistleblowers in the future from coming forward," said Tygart. (AFP)

US anti-doping CEO: Russia verdict blow to rights of clean athletes

Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova&#39;s application to compete as an individual athlete has been accepted, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said today. 
 
The former drugs cheat&#39;s revelations helped to expose the massive doping problem in her country and the middle-distance runner left Russia and went into hiding after disclosing the issue. 
 
Stepanova could now make a comeback as soon as July 6 in the 800m after European Athletics approved her participation at the continental championships in Amsterdam. 
 
The IAAF said its doping review board unanimously accepted Stepanova&#39;s application and that they had received more than 80 formal requests from Russian athletes seeking exceptional eligibility to compete in an individual capacity. 
 
&quot;Stepanova is now eligible to compete in international competitions as an independent neutral athlete,&quot; the IAAF said in a statement. 
 
European Athletics reiterated the IAAF&#39;s views and said it recognised Stepanova&#39;s &quot;exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes&quot; and cleared her to compete in Amsterdam next week. 
 
&quot;If Stepanova takes her place in Amsterdam, she will compete under the European Athletics flag and is scheduled to compete in the first round of the women&#39;s 800m on Wednesday 6 July,&quot; European Athletics said in a statement. 
 
It was still unclear, however, if the middle distance runner would now be eligible to compete at the Rio Olympics, with the IAAF saying it was up to organisers to decide. 
 
&quot;Ms Stepanova&#39;s participation as a neutral athlete in international competition is still subject to acceptance by the organiser of the competition in question, in accordance with the rules of that competition,&quot; the IAAF said. 
 
Russian track and field athletes are suspended from competing anywhere after a series of reports, triggered by Stepanova&#39;s revelations, painted a picture of systematic doping in the country and led to the launch of several investigations. 
 
The IAAF has said only some Russian track and field athletes fulfilling exceptional criteria, including repeated drugs testing outside Russia, can take part in the Rio Games under a neutral flag. 
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, insists any Russian track and field athlete cleared to compete in the Games starting on Aug. 5 would do so under the country&#39;s flag, appeasing Moscow in the run-up to the Rio Games. 
 
More than 65 Russian athletes have since filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying they should not be punished along with drugs cheats. 
 
Earlier this month, the IOC said while it was the international federation that was in charge of determining eligibility, it was the Olympic committee of each country that called up the team, overruling the IAAF over the flag issue. 
 
(Reuters)

Stepanova's revelations exposed massive doping in the country, leading to suspension of several Russian athletes

Russian doping whistleblower Yulia Stepanova's application to compete as an individual athlete has been accepted, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said today. The former drugs cheat's revelations helped to expose the massive doping problem in her country and the middle-distance runner left Russia and went into hiding after disclosing the issue. Stepanova could now make a comeback as soon as July 6 in the 800m after European Athletics approved her participation at the continental championships in Amsterdam. The IAAF said its doping review board unanimously accepted Stepanova's application and that they had received more than 80 formal requests from Russian athletes seeking exceptional eligibility to compete in an individual capacity. "Stepanova is now eligible to compete in international competitions as an independent neutral athlete," the IAAF said in a statement. European Athletics reiterated the IAAF's views and said it recognised Stepanova's "exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes" and cleared her to compete in Amsterdam next week. "If Stepanova takes her place in Amsterdam, she will compete under the European Athletics flag and is scheduled to compete in the first round of the women's 800m on Wednesday 6 July," European Athletics said in a statement. It was still unclear, however, if the middle distance runner would now be eligible to compete at the Rio Olympics, with the IAAF saying it was up to organisers to decide. "Ms Stepanova's participation as a neutral athlete in international competition is still subject to acceptance by the organiser of the competition in question, in accordance with the rules of that competition," the IAAF said. Russian track and field athletes are suspended from competing anywhere after a series of reports, triggered by Stepanova's revelations, painted a picture of systematic doping in the country and led to the launch of several investigations. The IAAF has said only some Russian track and field athletes fulfilling exceptional criteria, including repeated drugs testing outside Russia, can take part in the Rio Games under a neutral flag. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, insists any Russian track and field athlete cleared to compete in the Games starting on Aug. 5 would do so under the country's flag, appeasing Moscow in the run-up to the Rio Games. More than 65 Russian athletes have since filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying they should not be punished along with drugs cheats. Earlier this month, the IOC said while it was the international federation that was in charge of determining eligibility, it was the Olympic committee of each country that called up the team, overruling the IAAF over the flag issue. (Reuters)

IAAF: Russian doping whistleblower Stepanova eligible to compete as independent neutral in Rio

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