The United States Navy has made it clear that they intend to proceed with disciplinary actions against Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher despite pushback from Donald Trump as top military officials are now threatening to resign or be fired if the chief’s planned removal is halted by the president.
Gallagher has found a friend in President Donald Trump recently after POTUS pardoned the commando for war crimes he committed during his time in Iraq. However, the secretary of the Navy and the admiral who leads the SEALs have threatened to resign or allow themselves to be fired from their position if the Navy follows Trump’s halt on Gallagher’s punishment.
“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 tweeted out Thursday, indicating that he planned to stop the disciplinary actions that the military had laid out for the Chief Petty Officer as a result of the war crimes he committed.
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
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But according to a report from the New York Times, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and the commander Rear Adm. Collin Green are displaying a rare instance of military pushback against Trump as they refuse to bow to his demands.
In a last-ditch attempt to save face with the president, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are working to make a compromise with Trump over his declaration — using the fact that the announcement was made via Twitter, not a legitimate presidential order, as their footing to urge the president to meet them halfway.
According to the Times report, Mr. Esper and General Milley made it clear to Donald that should he implement that tweet as a formal presidential order, he would be met with rather dire consequences.
“Mr. Trump would lose Mr. Spencer and Admiral Green, further infuriate his top military leadership and do untold damage to decades of military justice doctrine, according to administration officials,” per the Times.
The impending loss of Gallagher’s gold insignia Trident pin — representative of Navy personnel who have made it through some of the most brutal training and risky missions — comes as a result of Gallagher’s war crimes which include shooting civilians, stabbing and murdering a captive Islamic State fighter with a hunting knife, and issuing death threats to SEALS who reported him, among other acts of misconduct.
One anonymous juror who took part in the Chief Petty Officer’s conviction expressed their disgust at Trump’s decision.
“People keep saying all he did is pose in a photo and there were lots of other guys in the photo,” said the juror who requested they remain anonymous to protect the privacy of the deliberations. “But he was the senior enlisted guy there, the oldest, the most experienced. He should have set an example for good order and discipline. He should have ensured stuff like that wasn’t happening. And he didn’t. He doesn’t deserve to wear [a] chief’s anchors.”
The juror then went on to explain that they hoped the Trident review process would proceed despite Trump’s pushback and Twitter declarations. Stating, “Let other SEALs decide if he deserves to be a SEAL.”
While the situation is a sickening one at best, I do have to say — it is nice to see someone finally standing up to Trump.
You can read the full report from the New York Times here.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
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