Defying Navy officials, Trump backs convicted SEAL
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday defied the U.S. Navy by saying it will not strip one of its servicemen of his Navy SEAL status.
The officer in question is Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who was at the center of a high-profile war crimes case in which he was charged with killing an Islamic State captive with a hunting knife while deployed in Iraq in 2017.
He was acquitted of all charges except for one lesser charge, illegally posing with the ISIS fighter's corpse.
Gallagher was demoted as a result, but Trump last week overruled top Navy officials by restoring his rank.
Gallagher, however, was told on Wednesday that his status as a SEAL was under review.
But one day later, Trump countered that, too, tweeting Thursday:
"The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!"
His tweet came shortly after Gallagher's attorney appeared on Fox News, saying the Navy's attempt to potentially strip Gallagher of his SEAL status was a means of getting back at Trump.
This is not Trump’s only intervention in a military case.
He also recently pardoned two Army officers who were separately accused of war crimes in Afghanistan.
Critics have said Trump's moves undermine military justice and send a message that battlefield atrocities will be tolerated.
