NEW YORK - Chelsea Manning says she had "a responsibility to the public" to leak a trove of classified documents in her first interview following her release from a federal prison last month.

In an interview broadcast Friday morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," the transgender soldier formerly known as Bradley Manning says she has "accepted responsibility" for her actions. Manning served seven years of a 35-year federal prison sentence which was commuted by former President Barack Obama in his final days in office. She thanked Obama in the interview for giving her "another chance."

The 29-year-old Manning also touched on her struggles dealing with her gender transition while in prison. She says she tried to kill herself twice behind bars and fought for the hormone treatments she says keep her alive.