Trump to Allow Internal Review of Navy SEAL Case by Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef – Wall Street Journal
President Trump has given the go-ahead to the Navy to conduct an internal review of the case against a disgraced Navy SEAL that has created high-level friction between the president and the Pentagon.
Mr. Trump is allowing the Navy to convene a peer-review board to determine whether Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher will remain in the elite unit, military officials said. The Navy got word late Friday, officials said, that Mr. Trump would allow it to continue to adjudicate the matter. The board will be the Navy’s final say on the fate of Chief Gallagher, who was cleared of more serious war crimes that took place in Iraq but found guilty of dishonoring his service by posing for a picture with a dead militant.
The Navy has been taking steps to remove Chief Gallagher from the SEALs following his conviction and appeared to be at odds with Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly expressed support for the SEAL and tweeted last week that he wouldn’t be booted from the elite force. His case has become a cause célèbre among conservatives, who have defended him on radio talk shows and cable news programs. The president earlier this month restored Chief Gallagher’s rank and pay, which had been reduced after his conviction…