Trump rebukes Navy leaders and insists sailor will remain a SEAL

Source: Politico | November 21, 2019 | Wesley Morgan

President Donald Trump rebuked Navy leaders on Thursday for taking steps that could strip a Navy SEAL acquitted of war crimes and three of his superiors of the trident badges that mark them as members of the elite commando force.

“The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Trump tweeted, referring to the sailor who he restored to the rank of chief petty officer last week despite military misgivings. “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”

Gallagher in July was cleared of charges that he stabbed a wounded prisoner to death but found guilty of posing with the prisoner’s corpse. The Navy reduced Gallagher in rank, but last Friday, Trump restored him to his previous rank of chief, along with pardoning two Army officers accused or found guilty of committing war crimes.

In what was seen as pushback from the Navy, Gallagher and three officers in his chain of command received notices on Wednesday to appear before boards of their peers to assess whether they would remain in the SEALs. Stripping a SEAL of his trident badge ejects him from the special operations force.

Rear Adm. Collin Green, the head of Naval Special Warfare Command, made the decision after consulting with top Navy and special operations leaders. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and the White House were also made aware of Green’s plans, according to a defense official who was not authorized to speak on the record on the matter.

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