President Trump Rescinds Navy Achievement Medals for Prosecutors Who Tried to Convict SEAL Eddie Gallagher
Richard Moorhead
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On Wednesday, President Donald Trump blocked Navy prosecutors who charged a decorated Navy SEAL with war crimes from receiving an award for their role in the criminal proceedings.
Navy Prosecutors tried and failed to secure a conviction against Eddie Gallagher, who they accused of murder and various war crimes.
The President tweeted about the situation Wednesday morning, pointing out the discrepancies related to the case that led him to intervene in the first place.
President Trump had ordered that now-Petty Officer First Class Gallagher be freed from solitary confinement in order to properly fight his case against the Naval Criminal Investigative Service prosecutors.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1156655361711071232
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1156655478740606977
Gallagher had been charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, and obstruction of justice for alleged incidences during his deployment to Iraq in 2017.
The prosecution’s case against Gallagher, that accused him of murdering a wounded ISIS-affiliated prisoner, ran into a roadblock when another service member admitted to the killing of the ISIS prisoner in question.
The combat medic who admitted killing the prisoner was given immunity in return for his testimony, guaranteeing that he wouldn’t be prosecuted for his actions.
Gallagher was found guilty of posing for a picture next to the corpse of an ISIS terrorist, but found not guilty on the other serious charges naval prosecutors levied against him.
Gallagher was ultimately demoted one rank from an E-8 to an E-7, and will continue his military career. If convicted of more serious offenses, he would have all but certainly received an OTH (other-than-honorable) discharge.
President Trump has intervened to prevent the naval prosecutors who charged Gallagher from patting themselves on the back with a snappy military award for absolutely nothing.
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