‘Cowards.’ Ex-Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher identifies teammates who testified against him
Former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was convicted for posing with the corpse of a teenage ISIS fighter and pardoned by President Donald Trump, has called out his teammates who testified against him in the trial.
In a video posted on Facebook and Instagram, Gallagher included the names, photos, duty status and units for SEAL team members, calling them “cowards.”
Revealing his teammates’ identities could put them in “jeopardy,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
“On September 11, 2018, I was arrested and charged with war crimes which I did not commit,” Gallagher said in the video. “My family and I then had to fight for my freedom. Even though I went to trial, exposed all the lies that were said about me by certain cowards in my platoon, and found not guilty, there are those to this day who refuse to accept that fact. I wanted to put this all behind me and move on with my life. Unfortunately, the fight to clear my name is not over. ... For those who have and continue to slander my name, the truth is coming.”
Gallagher was accused of war crimes by members of his platoon, who said he “shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. He was acquitted of charges, but was convicted for posing with a corpse in a photo. The jury reduced his rank.
Trump reinstated his rank and pardoned Gallagher in November 2019, according to The Guardian.
“The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Trump tweeted. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
Gallagher retired as a SEAL and retained his $200,000 pension, which he would have lost if Trump didn’t reinstate his rank, according to The Guardian.
In video testimonies and transcripts obtained by The New York Times, Special Operator First Class Craig Miller told investigators: “The guy is freaking evil. The guy was toxic.”
