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Dozens of GOP lawmakers fire off letter, demand release of Marine from pretrial confinement

October 1, 2021 | | Print Article

A group of more than 36 GOP lawmakers has written a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant demanding that Lt. Col Stuart Scheller be released from a military brig after publically criticizing military leaders for Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Given his excellent record and more than 15 years of dedicated service, we do not believe and have seen no evidence that LTC Sheller poses a grave risk of criminal misconduct,” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) declared in the letter.

“For the aforementioned reasons, we request that LTC Scheller be released from pretrial confinement and be housed in the least restrictive form of housing,” he stated.

Roughly 36 congress members signed the letter requesting Scheller’s release. Gohmert led the group in authoring the letter and remarked that Scheller’s imprisonment “appears to be for messaging, retribution, and convenience.”

Others who signed the letter include Republicans Paul Gosar, Madison Cawthorn, Bill Posey, Buddy Carter, Andy Biggs, Diane Harshbarger, and Bob Good. There were many others from across the country who signed on as well.

The letter contends that under military law, Scheller’s commander is required to justify his imprisonment within 72 hours. It was sent to Marine Corps. Commandant Gen. David H. Berger.

Scheller was arrested and thrown in the brig at Camp Lejeune on Monday. He is accused of violating four separate military laws by ignoring orders to stop making videos on social media that were critical of military leadership concerning the Afghanistan pullout.

(Video Credit: Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller)

(Video Credit: Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller)

The Marine was scheduled to have his first court appearance on Thursday in North Carolina but the public, media, and lawmakers were not allowed to attend. The hearing has now been postponed until next week. A source is quoted as saying that both the Marines and defense counsel agreed to the postponement.

Scheller’s hearing was over so quickly, he reportedly never even had a chance to enter the courtroom. A military spokesman told the Daily Mail that private proceedings are “standard for Initial Review Hearings.”

“We believe that the military is trying to do this behind closed doors without proper oversight,” Derrick Miller, who is the executive director of the non-partisan Justice Warriors Caucus, stated. “There’s nothing that prohibits people from being admitted to this court procedure.”

“The fact that they’re trying to do this behind closed doors should be concerning to every American,” he asserted.

Scheller is asking to be honorably discharged. His legal counsel is contending that the gravity of his alleged offenses does not rise to the level of a dishonorable discharge.

He attempted to resign his commission after making the first video. Instead, his resignation was rejected and he was arrested. Scheller was only three years from retirement when he took his stand. He knew it would end his career but insisted it was the right thing to do.

Miller pointed out the un-American optics of imprisoning Scheller while no one was held accountable for the deaths of 13 service members in Afghanistan or for the drone strike that took out an innocent family of ten, including seven children.

“I think that there is a lot of frustration and with this process in general, if you look at what happened during the Afghanistan withdrawal and the service members who unfortunately lost their lives and the families who will never see their loved ones again,” he noted.

“There was never any high-ranking official who was in charge of the withdrawal held responsible. We just recently saw a drone strike that killed all civilians that was initially touted as a military success, yet no one was held responsible,” Miller commented.

He added, “But when you look at the Lt. Col. Scheller and other cases where you have someone was directly impacted or raised an issue with the command’s conduct, they are automatically slapped with charges or deprived of their freedom behind closed doors, where people can’t see what’s going on.”

Scheller’s father said he does not believe his son will be released from jail.

“They want to keep his mouth shut,” he flatly proclaimed. “They are under fire from many, many people across the nation, and flocked up.”

His mother, Cathy Scheller, wants to know why her son is being treated so harshly when he hasn’t harmed anyone.

“He has not murdered anyone. You go through your whole list of reasons why he would be in prison, but speaking up isn’t one of them,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’m going to get inflammatory here, but I’m wondering: Is he a political prisoner?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought of political prisoners in the United States,” she bitterly remarked.

Charges being considered against Scheller include contempt toward officials, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, failure to obey order or regulation, and conduct unbecoming of an officer or a gentleman.

The Marine is being confined in an area that is reportedly reserved for suspected murderers according to a source.

Politicians are not the only ones who want Scheller released:

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Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
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