Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher embraces his wife, Andrea Gallagher, after leaving a military courtroom on Naval Base San Diego, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in San Diego. The decorated Navy SEAL facing a murder trial in the death of an Islamic State prisoner was freed Thursday from custody after a military judge cited interference by prosecutors. (AP Photo/Julie Watson)

The Navy Times just reported that President Trump, in his position as Commander In Chief, has stepped in to overturn the sentencing of a Navy SEAL. From the Navy Times:

President Donald J. Trump has decided to restore convicted SEAL Edward Gallagher’s pay grade to chief petty officer, overriding a decision last week by the Navy’s top admiral, both Navy Times and Fox News learned.

For those of you following this story, the Navy accused Gallagher of several crimes, including murdering a prisoner. Through the trial, the prosecution committed several open and notorious how shall I say it…crimes. What they did was so egregious, the entire trial should have been thrown out. Instead, Navy prosecutors continued, although ultimately able to convict Gallagher of only one violation of the UCMJ, posing for a picture with a dead enemy fighter…along with the other members of his team, none of whom were prosecuted.

In a case of obvious face-saving, the Chief of Naval reduced Gallagher to Petty Officer First Class. President Trump, recognizing a railroad job when he sees one, stepped in and overturned that decision. I’m not normally a fan of politicians getting into the ins and outs of military operations, but in this case, it was obviously needed to send a message. This may not be the last time. There are several other cases in front of President Trump for review. Stay tuned.

Mike Ford, a retired Infantry Officer, writes on Military, Foreign Affairs and occasionally dabbles in Political and Economic matters.

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