Trump recently overruled decisions made by military leaders and cleared three soldiers convicted or accused of committing war crimes.
In the process, he tried to, once again, disgrace the honor of a decorated U.S. veteran.
The case of Major Mathew Golsteyn is now under review at the White House. Mathew is a highly decorated Green Beret who is being tried for killing a Taliban bombmaker. We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill! @PeteHegseth
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2019
The three men Trump went to bat for include the one mentioned above, Special Forces Major Mathew Golsteyn who has been charged with killing an unarmed Afghan civilian. Trump gave a full pardon to Army Lt. Clint Lorance who was sentenced to 19 years for two counts of second-degree murder of civilians in Afghanistan. In addition, the President reversed a demotion of Cheif Petty Officer and Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.
Gallagher was turned in by his own men due to the atrocities, and he was tried last summer. His court-martial charges include premeditated murder, attempted murder, obstruction of justice, and posing for a photograph with a casualty. He was acquitted of the first three charges and found guilty of “posing for inappropriate photos with the dead captive.”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2019
The President’s interference in the Gallagher case led to the firing of the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, a former Marine. Rumors swirled that Spencer was going to quit due to the President’s demands that Gallagher not lose his “Trident Pin.”
However, on Sunday night it was announced that Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Spencer. According to the Washington Post, President Trump had Esper fire Spencer over his handling of the Gallagher case.
Spencer has an entirely different explanation for his firing which he explained in a letter released on Sunday addressed to the President:
“As Secretary of the Navy, one the most important responsibilities I have to our people is to maintain good order and discipline throughout the ranks. I regard this as deadly serious business… I no longer share the same understanding with the Commander in Chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Not the First Time
Supporting Spencer’s events is the sheer number of times that Trump has lied since taking office–and the way he has treated other decorated current and former members of the U.S. armed forces.
Most recently, there was the smear campaign against Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient. Then there was his disrespect for the mother of a fallen soldier, Ghazala Khan.
And, of course, there is Trump’s never ending insult slinging at POW Senator John McCain.
.@SenJohnMcCain should be defeated in the primaries. Graduated last in his class at Annapolis-dummy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2015