President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that the Navy will not demote a Navy SEAL convicted of a war crime who he ordered reinstated to his previous rank despite a report that says the soldier could be booted from the elite force.
"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!" Trump tweeted.
Last week, Trump directed the Navy to restore Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murdering an Islamic State (ISIS) fighter who had been captured in Afghanistan, to his rank. Gallagher was convicted of illegally posing with the fighter's body and had his rank reduced.
This week, it was reported that the Navy may remove Gallagher and two other SEALs from duty stemming from the 2017 incident.
Gallagher's attorney Timothy Parlatore said the Navy is trying to remove him from the service to retaliate against Trump's decision to pardon him. There was no word from the Navy or the White House about the matter in the immediate hours following Trump's Thursday morning tweet.
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