President Trump has ordered Navy officials to rescind medals given to Navy prosecutors who failed to secure a conviction against Special Warfare Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was charged with war crimes.
“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,” Trump said on Twitter Wednesday.
“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. I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards. I am very happy for Eddie Gallagher and his family!”
….I am very happy for Eddie Gallagher and his family!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2019
Earlier this month, Gallagher was found not guilty on all charges except for unlawfully taking a picture with the corpse of a dead ISIS fighter he had been accused of killing while deployed to Iraq in 2017. The case’s prosecutors were awarded Navy Achievement Medals for their “super results” and “expert litigation” approximately one week later, according to Task & Purpose.
The citation for prosecutor Lt. Brian John said he “took the lead in preparing the government’s most challenging witnesses.” During the trial, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Corey Scott shocked the court when he said that he, not Gallagher, was responsible for the death of the ISIS fighter. Scott had been given immunity by prosecutors in exchange for his testimony.
Scott’s admission is believed to have been a key turning point in the whirlwind case.
Prior to the trial, Gallagher’s defense team accused the prosecution of impropriety during the case’s proceedings. In May, it was discovered that prosecutors had embedded email tracking software in their correspondence with the defense, a breach that caused defense attorney Tim Parlatore to file an ethics complaint against Cmdr. Chris Czaplak, then the lead prosecutor.
Capt. Aaron Rugh, the judge overseeing the case, dismissed Czaplak in response to motions filed by Parlatore’s team after the discovery of the tracking software.
Trump was reportedly considering Gallagher for a pardon prior to his conviction but ultimately decided to wait for the jury’s verdict.
