NSA leaker Edward Snowden on Tuesday expressed his thanks to President Barack Obama for commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, tweeting, "Thanks, Obama."
Snowden, who himself has been the focus of requests for a pardon, tweeted to Obama last week if he helped only one person before leaving office Friday that person should be Manning.
Manning's 35-year sentence for giving classified documents to WikiLeaks, which then published them online, will now end May 17, just seven years into the sentence.
Snowden encouraged Manning to hold on just a short while longer.
Supporters have argued for Manning's release on health concerns because the Army delayed requests for hormone replacement therapy to aid the former Private Bradley Manning's transition to a woman while in prison.