Just weeks after a jury found Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher not guilty on charges of killing a member of ISIS in 2017, Trump has a message for his prosecutors of the case. In a tweet this afternoon the President made a suggestion on how to right a wrong:
The Prosecutors who lost the case against SEAL Eddie Gallagher (who I released from solitary confinement so he could fight his case properly), were ridiculously given a Navy achievement medal. Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion.
Then came the zinger: “I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards.”
The Prosecutors who lost the case against SEAL Eddie Gallagher (who I released from solitary confinement so he could fight his case properly), were ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal. Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2019
According to foxnews.com, “Navy officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case, said the Navy secretary is authorized to pull such awards and would be doing so.” Gallagher has been in a longstanding legal battle after he was accused of stabbing to death a 15-year-old Isis fighter in 2017 and posing with the corpse for photos.
The seven criminal charges included “premeditated murder, willfully discharging a firearm to endanger human life, retaliation against members of his platoon for reporting his alleged actions, obstructions of Justice and the attempted murders of two noncombatants.” On six charges the San Diego jury found Gallagher NOT GUILTY. The seventh charge was for posing for a photo with a casualty, which carries a maximum prison sentence of only four months and is considered the least egregious of the crimes.
