Bradley Manning, the US Army Private First Class accused of leaking classified documents from his post in Iraq to WikiLeaks, has made a formal offer of responsibility in his pre-trial hearing in Fort Meade, Maryland.

To be clear, Manning has not pled guilty or not guilty in the case, where he has been accused of espionage, computer fraud, and “aiding the enemy," among other charges. But this marks the first time Manning has offered to accept formal responsibility for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. If found guilty in the case, Manning could face the death penalty.

Kevin Gosztola, a blogger who has been in attendance during the Manning case, noted the legal maneuver could pave the way to a deal where Manning could plead guilty to lesser charges.

“Pleading to lesser-included offenses makes it possible to not plea to committing offenses under the Espionage Act or Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA),” he wrote. “Importantly, he can plead guilty without accepting the government’s charge that he ‘aided the enemy’ or ‘exceeded authorized access’ on his computer.”

The judge, Col. Denise Lind, must now decide whether or not to accept this offer. Ars requested comment from the judge and Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, but did not receive any immediate reply.

Previously, a trial date for February 2013 had been set.