Bradley Manning’s father has spoken out about his son in an interview on CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Brian Manning said he believes in his heart his son is innocent, explaining that he cannot understand how the leaks were logistically possible and that he believes Bradley was “grandstanding” when he confessed to carrying them out in order to spark a debate on U.S. foreign policy. Brian described the terms of his son’s imprisonment at the Quantico Marine brig, saying they amounted to torture, and he responded to Anderson Cooper’s question about what he would say to his son.

Brian Manning: “I would basically tell him right off the bat that he had no excuse whatsoever for allegedly releasing that information. I mean, I can’t fathom any reason to myself why he should be — that I should forgive him for doing something like that, because it’s against my creed or code of honor.”

Anderson Cooper: “Is there any message you want to get across to him?”

Brian Manning: “I’d like to, you know, just like in Quantico, right before we ended our visits, it was always, 'I love you, son,' and he’d say, 'I love you, dad.' And I still love my son.”