I would suggest that anyone who commented here that posing with a corpse is not a serious issue should do a little more research. There were a lot of other crimes involved that he was not found guilty of because some of the 7 who testified against him were unduly influenced. There is a lot more to this story than one body, although that should be enough. This man (Gallagher) is rotten to the core and is an embarrassment to the Navy Seals.
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As a provider, I've worked with a few hundred SEALs and Special-Ops Active Duty Service Members, so I have a pretty-good idea of what they are about.
Re: this Navy-DC "knife fight" over gallagher, I agree with Eric Deming -- "I wish he (Gallagher) would just shut up and go away".
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I believe that Gallagher was probably guilty of the other crimes he was charged with, but the prosecutors were unable to convict him according to the rules. But that does not make him innocent.
In order for Eddie Gallagher to be innocent, the 7 Navy Seals who testified against him must therefore be dishonorable. Gallagher was convicted on only one of the counts he was accused of. The only reason he wasn't convicted of the other counts was because there was no physical evidence.
The reputation of the Navy is at stake.
That's why the top brass was willing to risk everything
to show that Gallagher is unworthy of honor.
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@lucretius ,
I dying kid enemy soldier was killed and his body was used as a trophy in a picture. Where was a commissioned officer to prevent this from happening? The reputation of an elite force is at stake.
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To meddle in the established process of justice is so Trump. I’d like to know more about repercussions of his action and what other Seals are saying about this. Seems like Gallagher might be a bad apple or just lost it in these instances. In any case the military is well able to handle this without the chief meddler.
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How many Commanders will fear and bow to Trump's manipulation of the Military Justice System or any manufactured reason he might have to impose his personal whim. The American top brass live like Royalty and have great retirements and jobs awaiting when they retire. Are they willing to give up some or all of it over principles? Once you give up your principles for personal gain, you are corrupted. What we have here is a coup in the making.
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The verdict of the lawful military justice process should prevail and Trump should stay out of the process. Every currently serving member of the military and every veteran knows this. Furthermore Trump should be impeached as he is unfit for office.
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"Order within his ranks was a “deadly serious business.” Now, Richard V. Spencer, the secretary of the Navy, has resigned after clashing with the president over Chief Gallagher’s demotion."
There is definitely a problem in the ranks, when the SoN clashes with the President. The President gets it.
Due process. Whatever that means these days.
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Edward Gallagher should be given the position of the fired Comander. That would be true justice.
I don't understand how the question can be even asked. War crimes are punishable under the Nuremberg and Geneva standards. As a soldier I was told to live to the highest standards. We hanged thousands after WWII. If we tell our people it's OK to commit war crimes, they will.
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@George Kazolias +Depends on the definition. The first count in the Nuremberg indictment was “Waging aggressive war.” But before the IMT, “waging aggressive war” was not a crime, it was pure ex post facto law. And today it is still not a crime, witness Dubya in Iraq. And of course Allied troops committed crimes as well (some of Patton’s men robbed German civilians at gunpoint, but no Allied soldier was ever brought to justice for such things.)
It seems that what constitutes a punishable offense in the military is remarkably fluid.
All of a sudden, the media is sharp focused and supporting the military against the Commander in Chief. Since when has the military been supported by the media? I guess since Trump is the President anyone who opposes him is a hero.....
The prosecutor had some issues and should have been court martialed.
So, it's a war crime to have your pictured taken with a corpse? Hmm. Doesn't Chief Gallagher's job description include, among other things, creating corpses?
The President did the right thing, clearing this man. There are a few more that need to corrected.
Did you even watch and listen to the witnesses? Seven SEALs described Gallagher targeting and shooting at girls and old men. He stabbed a teen to death as his colleagues were administering medical aid. Gallagher should rot in jail.
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Mike, did you listen and watch the video of the seven SEALS who td what they saw Gallagher do? As medical aid was given to a dying teenager, Gallagher repeatedly stabbed him in the neck with a handmade machete. Then, he insisted on selfies. This was only one of several horrific incidents, including shooting at women, girls, kids and the elderly. Like Trump, Gallagher attacks his American opponents by character assassination rather than facts. He Mocked a witness who wept as he recounted what Gallagher had done. Gallagher should rot in jail. I pity his wife.
The Seals had a reason for reporting Gallagher, so trump's interference was improper; and probably based on the fact that Gallagher's wife is blonde, showy and caught trump's eye. What do you want to bet?
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It'll start a wonderful tradition of killing the enemy (even those just captured) and taking a picture with the spoils. Terrorists will love it. And our military will adopt the high moral standards of the President.
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I am sorry to make this comment again but the number of exclamatory grunts and loud hmphs in this episode was such that it was intrusive and irritating.
Please, Michael, tone it down. There has to be some response other than a loud hmph! you can use to impress upon your audience that the issue is important and that you have strong feelings about it. I understand that this is something you do, but when you do it as a response to every statement made by your interviewee it makes the podcast impossible to listen to.
@JLP I love the little interjections: "huh", "wow", etc. Makes the interviews sound like a conversation and he often make a sound right about where I'm thinking: huh or wow. Apparently audience opinions on this are divided. The Daily is on my must listen list every week day.
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The US has abstained from ratifying the UN Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which regulates the international adjudication of war crimes, with the justification that the court is incompatible with US law, arguing further such crimes be best adjudicated by US legal process. The events discussed here cast that argument in doubt.
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Trump's idea of justice: lock up political opponents for emails, pardon war criminals for murder. Tired of winning yet?
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a promotion and a medal.
Unfit, Not qualified, dangerous, the loser was appointed to the oval office, not elected, after he lost the vote of the people by 3,000,000 ballots.
A line of 3,000,000 people is over a thousand miles long.
This con artist does not represent America.
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