Bradley Manning (Facebook.com)

The government is seeking to block Bradley Manning’s attorney’s attempt to call nearly 50 defense witnesses at a pre-trial hearing next week over the private’s alleged leaking of hundreds of thousands of U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks.

The government opposed all witnesses requested by the defense, except ones that the government is also calling as witnesses, according to a new filing from the defense team. That works out to 38 of the 48 witnesses Manning’s defense attorney David E. Coombs asked permission to call to the stand, when the Article 32 hearing co...