Nov. 22 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Thursday said he won’t allow the Navy to strip an emblem away from a SEAL who was convicted of posing with a teenage Islamic State fighter’s corpse.
Trump wrote a tweet criticizing the Navy’s handling of the case of officer Edward Gallagher, stating he would ensure that Gallagher maintains the emblem that signifies his membership in the SEAL unit.
“The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Trump wrote. “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
The president’s statement comes after he restored Gallager’s rank to E-7, which he held before his conviction.
Last month the Navy’s top officer upheld a jury’s decision that he be sentenced to four months confinement and loss of rank.
Gallagher was charged with multiple war crimes, including shooting civilians in Iraq and murdering a wounded Islamic State fighter in 2017. A jury of mostly Marine combat veterans convicted him on only the photo charge.
Trump had also ordered the Navy in August to rescind the medals awarded to Gallagher’s prosecutors.
