Gateway Pundit – by Kristinn Taylor
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said in an exclusive interview with Reuters Friday that despite President Trump’s tweet on Thursday ordering the Navy to stand down, the Navy still plans to haul Navy Special Operations Chief Eddie Gallagher before a review board next month to kick him out of the SEALs and take away his Trident Pin. The move against Gallagher came just days after Trump restored Gallagher’s rank and pay grade following a malicious court martial that saw Gallagher acquitted of murder charges but convicted of a minor offense of posing for a photograph with the corpse of an ISIS fighter in Iraq in 2017.
Trump’s order: “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!”
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
The Navy has acknowledged Trump’s tweet telling them to not take Gallagher’s Trident, but apparently does not consider it a formal order and is going ahead with the December 2 review. Rear Admiral Charlie Brown, Chief of Information for Navy issued a statement late on Thursday that said, “The Navy follows the lawful orders of the President. We will do so in case of an order to stop the administrative review of SOC Gallagher’s professional qualification. We are aware of the President’s tweet and we are awaiting further guidance.”
Excerpts from Reuters’ exclusive interview with Secretary Spencer:
U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said on Friday a Navy SEAL convicted of battlefield misconduct should face a board of peers weighing whether to oust him from the elite force, despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that he not be expelled.
“I believe the process matters for good order and discipline,” Spencer told Reuters, weighing in on a confrontation between Trump and senior Navy officials over the outcome of a high-profile war-crimes case.
…Asked whether he believed the proceedings against Gallagher should continue, Spencer, in an interview at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, said, “Yes, I do.”
“I think we have a process in place, which we’re going forward with, and that’s my job,” he added.
…Spencer acknowledged that Trump has the power to restore Gallagher’s SEAL status if Navy commanders decide to expel him, saying, “The commander in chief is the commander in chief … and he can do what he wants.”
End excerpt. Please read the complete Reuters article at this link.
The Navy Times reported the Navy internally considers Trump’s order unlawful (hence the statement by Rear Adm. Brown about following “lawful orders”).
It remains unclear if Navy leaders consider Trump’s tweet to be an actual order.
And even if it’s an order, they seem to have cast doubt on whether it’s lawful, arguing internally that the fate of Gallagher’s trident is an agency regulatory matter, much like determining whether a pilot can qualify for a license.
Just as the president can’t order the Federal Aviation Administration to certify his son as a pilot, the commander in chief can’t order them to keep Gallagher a SEAL, they’re suggesting behind closed doors.
The Navy Times reported that the subject of Gallagher’s review–his conviction for posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter–is unique in that Gallagher was the only one prosecuted even though several other SEALs are in the photo with him.
See the photo and read the rest here: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/navy-mutinies-against-president-trump-sec-spencer-says-still-planning-on-review-to-take-eddie-gallaghers-seal-trident-despite-order-from-potus/
“The Navy follows the lawful orders of the President.”
LIAR.
You can call them ‘legal’, but ANYTHING that traitor does these days in definitely UNLAWFUL.
“And even if it’s an order, they seem to have cast doubt on whether it’s lawful,…”
NOT LAWFUL, RETARDS!!!
Ah….Mr. Tweety at it again, being meaningless as usual…. #1 is correct of course…since when has anything Tweety done actually lawful?
Trident, pitchfork, whatever.
It’s still the same gang and still the enemy of freedom.
Same fight , different cartel
Gotta say, that second picture at the source page disgusted me. Reminiscent of The Hunger Games, or trophy hunting. So proud of their catch. Disgusting!!
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Actually, the charge was probably brought for killing a US-proxy fighter…..a fellow warrior.
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