President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to rescind achievement medals awarded last month to four military lawyers who prosecuted former ​Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher during a high-profile court martial.

In July 2019, Gallagher was acquitted by a military jury after standing trial for allegedly murdering an ISIS fighter in Iraq in 2017. He was released from prison after time served.

Trump tweeted: “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. I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards​.

Trump added: ​”I am very happy for Eddie Gallagher and his family!​”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1156655478740606977

According to the Navy Times, the four attorneys who prosecuted Gallagher were awarded Navy Achievement Medals last month, even though their case against him had collapsed.

In the bizarre murder trial, Gallagher was accused of stabbing a teen ISIS prisoner in Iraq shortly after he was treated by American medics due to injuries the jihadist suffered during an airstrike. At the time, Gallagher — a 19-year-Navy veteran — was on his eighth deployment to the Middle East.

Several platoon members alleged that they saw Gallagher plunge a knife in the ISIS prisoner’s neck. Gallagher’s attorneys claimed he was being framed by a group of disgruntled subordinates.

Gallagher’s lawyers also argued that the ISIS jihadi could have died from his own injuries and that there was no forensic evidence to support the prosecution’s claims that Gallagher had murdered him.

Gallagher, 40, maintained his innocence from the beginning. However, prosecutors argued that Gallagher’s own damning text messages and photos incriminated him.

In one gruesome photo, Gallagher was seen holding the dead ISIS prisoner by the hair while holding a knife in his hand. The text that Gallagher sent to his friends read: “I got a cool story for you when I get back. I got him with my hunting knife.”

Gallagher was a decorated Navy Seal who earned two Bronze Stars for valor. He was charged with premeditated murder, and could have faced life in prison.

Gallagher’s murder trial and court martial was held up by the Left as another example of an overzealous American soldier who murdered his ISIS enemy outside the rules of engagement.

However, many on the Right argued that the prosecution of Eddie Gallagher — who risked his life for his country during an impressive 19-year military career — underscores the ridiculous double standards that U.S. military are held to.

They also said that if Gallagher had murdered an ISIS terrorist, who cares? It’s his job to kill ISIS militants. And if there’s one less vermin walking the Earth who wants to kill Americans, good riddance.

Can you imagine ISIS holding a court martial because one of their jihadists murdered an American soldier? To the contrary, that jihadi would be hailed a hero.

As BizPac Review reported, Eddie’s Gallagher brother, Sean Gallagher, said Eddie was being accused by “malcontents” who lied “to paint my brother as a villain.”

Sean said: “Every accusation made, every slanderous comment all boils down to this bottom line: My brother reprimanded a couple guys in combat who buckled under his leadership because they were new and inexperienced and because they put men’s lives in danger by not wanting to take the fight to the enemy.”

Sean continued: “My brother called them out on this, he reprimanded them. And when they got back, only months later, they spun up these stories. It’s based upon the testimony of these malcontents who were concerned about their own reputation so they spun the stories to paint my brother as a villain so that they could escape criticism.”

Trump pardons Green Beret & reverses demotion of Navy SEAL prosecuted for killing terrorists

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Samantha Chang

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Samantha Chang is a senior staff writer for BizPac Review. She is a financial editor and lawyer based in New York City.

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