Wife of Fort Hood Survivor Claims Defense Department Is 'Slapping Victims With Gag Orders', Telling Family Members Not to Talk to Press

Autumn Manning, wife of Fort Hood survivor Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, is claiming that the U.S. Department of Defense is "slapping victims with gag orders" and telling family members not to talk to the press following testimony in the trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan.

This prevents survivors from talking about "denial of benefits," which is still happening after the Obama administration decided to classify the shooting as "workplace violence." Because of the designation, Fort Hood survivors have been denied combat-related benefits.

Manning later clarified that the DOD's gag order only applied to witnesses, though she also claims family members were told not to talk to the press.

"[I] will say what I want [to] who I want," a defiant Manning wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

"I am not in military [and] still have my 1st amendment rights [thank you] very much," she wrote in another tweet.

Conservative radio host Dana Loesch has been leading the charge on this story. She provides the screengrabs of Manning's tweets:

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We are currently investigating whether "gagging" witnesses in a military trial is a normal occurrence. This story may be updated with additional information.

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