eddie gallagher accusers

But he said Portier wanted to hold off reporting the incident until he determined Iraqi security forces hadnt shot the girl. He emerges in the reams of testimony as the most prominent SEAL pushing superiors to block his former platoon chiefs advancement and Silver Star and terminate him from his training assignment. Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. We raise each other up and create a culture of constant improvement and accountability. Both are expected to testify that it was clear the man was a noncombatant and they made the decision not to shoot, according to a filing provided to defense attorneys. But we trusted Jake. Spencer responded that terminating this probe could only be done via an official written order from the White House. ", By And I wanted to read what these texts say. [27] Hunter told reporters that he intended to ask for a presidential pardon if Gallagher was convicted. The decorated Navy SEAL had been accused stabbing the wounded teenage captive back in 2017. But President Donald Trump reinstated his rating late last year. "[citation needed], Gallagher was one of three military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes on whose behalf Trump had intervened to pardon or promote. Gallagher always maintained his innocence. ISIS had taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria. Clip from Apple TVs documentary The Line featuring Eddie Gallagher, former Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, and Navy SEAL Dylan Dille. That included Gallagher telling another platoon chief that the rest of the platoon were afraid to go out on patrol during the deployment and they were all cowards, according to the NCIS report about the SO1 snipers interview. His actions are everything ISIS says we are. The problem was one mans insecurities, greed, and addiction. Several of them said that they saw him stab this alleged captive ISIS prisoner. now-disgraced Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher, only convicted of taking a photograph with a murdered teenage prisoner. Well, they addressed it in the sense of, they said that this was dark humor. He told NCIS that he remembered listening to the ceremony and believing it was the most disgraceful thing he had ever seen," but it just got worse. Get back to business!" Eddie outing these people and the units they are in might be unprecedented in the SEAL community. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War. Green ordered Gallagher's case to be investigated by the Trident Review Board, in order to determine whether Gallagher should be stripped of his SEAL Trident insignia, the official symbol of certification within the Naval Special Warfare SEAL community. We dont identify them by name, or by any other manner, due to the nature of their work, for the protection of their teammates and their families, and to protect on-going and future missions, Lawrence told the newspaper. [2], On July 2, 2019, Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photograph with the corpse of an ISIS fighter, but was acquitted of all other charges after Special Operator Corey Scott, a member of Gallaghers team granted immunity as a witness against Gallagher, testified that he had killed the prisoner. Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. Apparently, he sent a photograph of the captive's body. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. Glad I could help! Whats unusual about the interview is that it appears at times almost as if the LPO believes hes attending an intelligence debriefing, not necessarily the sort of interrogation conducted by federal detectives building a criminal case against his former platoon chief. The LPO told the agent that an SO1 who remained to assist Gallagher with the medical care was freaking out a little bit over what Eddie just did but there was nothing anyone could do because the subject was dead.. Raiders. Yet few people heard about the lives saved, people liberated, or hope restored in Mosul. They said that he went up in the sniper tower and shot at civilians. But piecing together all the interviews in mid-2018 and a round of re-interviews in October of the SEALs reveals multiple, sometimes competing, reasons for bringing Gallaghers alleged actions to the attention of his superiors and, later, law enforcement. My brothers are barrel-chested freedom fighters that go to the ends of the earth to carry out our nations foreign policy, fighting our nations enemies and liberating populations of people along the way. Truth is our best defense and we think that once everyone hears what really happened, Eddie will be exonerated.. At first, they say, the anti-Gallagher campaign by the alleged whistleblowers appeared to succeed. [11][9] Gallagher pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. It was as simple as the banner that hung on my seventh-grade teachers desk: The right choice isnt always popular, and the popular choice isnt always right. My only regret is not doing more. So Gallaghers trial ultimately will ask a panel of officers and senior enlisted sailors to weigh the credibility of witnesses mostly junior SEALs testifying about what they allegedly saw or heard, and then evaluate their possible motives for expressing their recollections that way. Eddie was definitely a pirate.. My word is my bond. These words are from the SEAL Ethos and are ingrained into every single SEAL trainee. That SO1 told NCIS he left as the other two SEALs continued working on the prisoner, although other interviews and the prosecutions own legal filings in the case portray a chaotic scene, with memories about the incident often jumbled by all the witnesses. ", "Trump Orders Navy to Strip Medals From Prosecutors in War Crimes Trial", "The Prosecutors who lost the case against SEAL Eddie Gallagher (who I released from solitary confinement so he could fight his case properly), were ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal. Support C&L Go Ad-Free Today and blamed his accusers for being the cowards. Portier, he said, gathered all of the team members together and took a photograph of the team.". The AOIC told prosecutors that one proposed raid was so poorly conceived by Gallagher that it lacked a tactical goal the platoon could achieve, except inexplicably shooting people who might or might not be under a bridge. Assuming that the witnesses even show up at least three of them have threatened to assert their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refuse to testify, according to emails provided to Navy Times. I mean, if you think about this, this is something that happened in Iraq in 2017. [54] Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a platoon medic, had informed investigators, "You could tell he was perfectly O.K. Support C&L Go Ad-Free Today and blamed his accusers for being the cowards. clothing line and nutritional supplement endorsements. Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher celebrates after being acquitted of premeditated murder at Naval Base San Diego, July 2, 2019, in San Diego. Jason Hull). Almost immediately after seeing the group, one of the girls in a grey dress grabbed her stomach and fell to the ground after she was shot, the SO1 said. [10] Only after the reports gained visibility outside the SEAL community, were they acted upon and referred to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).[9]. It appears as though a revenge tour is just getting started and that's a really sobering thought. The medic, Special Operator First Class Corey Scott who testified under an immunity agreement, testified that he himself had killed the wounded prisoner by covering his breathing tube and asphyxiating him. Gallagher was the subject of a number of reports from fellow SEAL team members, stating that his actions were not in keeping with the rules of war, but these reports were dismissed by the SEAL command structure. All Rights Reserved. But Trump May Get in the Way", "Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher found not guilty on murder and attempted murder charges", "Shocking Revelation In Navy SEAL War Crimes Trial: Witness Says He Is The Real Killer", "Jurors picked for Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher's war crimes trial", "Navy SEAL Chief Accused of War Crimes Is Found Not Guilty of Murder", "Navy dismisses case against SEAL accused of covering up war crimes", "Jury to decide SEAL's punishment for posing with corpse", "Navy SEAL demoted for posing with corpse", "Congratulations to Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher, his wonderful wife Andrea, and his entire family. So, in the end, that was what he was convicted of. Absolutely. The SEAL compound boasted a main headquarters building that overlooked the low ground below them and peered over an opposite hillside. SEALs. But, in the meantime, he had already served eight months in the brig. Directors Doug Shultz and Jeff Zimbalist secured the participation of Gallagher; his wife, Andrea; and the members of SEAL Team 7 who accused Gallagher of war crimes. The first NCIS interrogation kicked off on April 16, 2018, with a first class special warfare operator an SO1. There is a digital trove of evidence a mile long where Eddie violated dozens of articles of the UCMJ. Got him with my hunting knife.". The SO1 told Warpinski that five or six hours later he watched people emerging from nearby buildings and, maybe, fellow snipers engaging a few Islamic State fighters near there. He will serve no further jail time. In a Jan. 11 motion filed by Gallaghers defense team, attorneys indicated that the Marine who has declined to assist NCIS saw the detainee but detected no stabbings around the neck or chest and said the prisoner had stopped breathing before dying. No one wins in this story. Two other SEAL petty officers told investigators Gallagher bragged about slaying 10-20 people a day or 150-200 people on deployment, court documents state. The most serious allegation against Gallagher, 39, is a premeditated murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of an unarmed and seriously wounded Islamic State fighter near the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2017. [3] Following Scott's confession, prosecutors canceled other witnesses they had planned to call, fearing their testimony would further undermine their case. Instead, he remembered the other girls looking in the direction of the SEALs right after the girl was shot.. Robert Breisch the commander of SEAL Team 7 during the 2017 deployment members of Gallaghers platoon were interviewed by investigators about the drone strike, but its unclear why the SEALs didnt tell them about Gallaghers alleged war crimes then. I doubt Eddie Gallagher is thumbing away on his computer and coming up with these graphics and effects himself. The sniper whos now a civilian claimed he saw Gallagher shoot an elderly man in his 70s or 80s on Fathers Day, 18 June 2017, a shooting backed up by a first class petty officer now assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group often called DEVGRU or SEAL Team 6, according to NCIS records. All appear on camera. Over the years here and Barstool and my time in the Marine Corps, I got to know several SEALs and other members of "special units." Real brothers dont chase medals. The breadth and diversity of partners supporting the Coalition demonstrate the global and unified nature of the endeavor to defeat ISIS. He told Navy Times that Gallagher appeared to have drawn from a deeper understanding of tactics than his junior SEALs possessed and was channeling lessons learned in Iraq a decade earlier. Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher celebrates after being acquitted of premeditated murder at Naval Base San Diego, July 2, 2019, in San Diego. Was always a jerk. [1] Some potential witnesses were non-cooperative, citing the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination when refusing to testify. This is the reason that other countries call us to solve their problems. These were part of Gallaghers effort to get a SEAL injured or killed so that we would, in his words, make it a great deployment. In the end, Gallagher showed us he wasnt our brother. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. As usual, Fox News figures prominently. One of those incidents allegedly occurred on the day after he left. To Gallaghers attorney Parlatore, the SO1s interview is the classic example of a witness whos trying to connect dots for investigators by grasping on to events and conversations that likely arent related but end up unfairly portraying the platoon chief as someone hes not. And then, all of a sudden, they hit a nerve, said Timothy Parlatore, Gallaghers lead civilian counsel. Filling in that gap of time, an SO1 who had been with the detainee later told NCIS that the wounded fighter also received a chest tube. It escalates and Warpinski is now on the case.". But to Gallaghers attorney Parlatore, thats where NCIS and the prosecutors started getting it wrong. Gallagher allegedly told two lieutenants and another chief that he had dirt on all of them and would bring them all down if they reported his war crimes, prosecutors wrote. He was the first non-Marine to graduate from the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper School that he attended. Photographic and video images reviewed by Navy Times seem fragmentary and inconclusive. Multiple witnesses are expected to testify that they were far less effective in combat because their focus shifted from fighting ISIS to protecting civilians and they lost faith in Gallagher as a platoon chief because he was firing indiscriminately at civilians," a file states. Thats something the other medically-trained SO1 also told investigators; He returned to the area and was surprised to find the prisoner dead. [14], According to the original Navy prosecutor Chris Czaplak, "Chief Gallagher decided to act like the monster the terrorists accuse us of being. Theyre like thoroughbred stallions. These werent SEAL tactics. Chief Gallagher was awarded Sailor of the Year for Naval Special Warfare Group One. Gallagher was charged with murdering 17-year-old Khaled Jamal Abdullah in 2018, along with other charges. After two weeks of testimony, Chief Edward Gallagher was found not guilty of murdering a suspected ISIS prisoner in Iraq. He also told NCIS that Gallagher had shot at but missed another young girl in a previous incident. Instead, most only heard about Gallagher committing the same kinds of horrific acts as the people we were sent to fight. He referred NCIS to an SO1 who served as a sniper during the deployment. Gallagher went to trial last summer on charges that he murdered an Islamic State prisoner of war and committed other war crimes in May 2017 outside Mosul, Iraq. They wanted him fired from a schoolhouse billet that taught junior SEALs battlefield operations. [8] He received positive evaluations from his superiors within the SEALs, and served as an instructor in the SEALs BUD/S program for recruits. [6] On October 18, Lieutenant Jacob Portier of Gallagher's platoon was also charged with failing to properly notify his superiors within the chain of command, to include the destruction of evidence. Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. [41][42], After the closure of the case, Gallagher and his initial lawyer entered a dispute in August 2019. Was always a jerk. And then his attorneys seem pretty eager to appeal this decision. I hoped the men who were acquitted or pardoned would use their platforms to bring awareness about issues facing veterans and active-duty members. But some SEALs thought these tactics disregarded their specialty conducting nighttime raids designed to surprise enemies when they were less likely to fight back. He was interviewed in 2020 by former Navy SEAL and current K9 trainer Mike Ritland on YouTube. That is best sailor, in all 6 teams on the West Coast: NSWU-1, NSWU-3, SDVT-1. But, the good comes with the bad. According to a former Navy prosecutor, the top admiral in the Navy directly handling such a matter is extremely rare, but not unmerited due to the high profile of the case. Although they had the NCIS hotline number for days, legal files indicate that not one of the SEAL witnesses called it. We didnt focus on keeping evidence that would hold up in court. [34], The jury for Gallagher's court-martial was composed of five enlisted men, including a Navy SEAL and four Marines, plus a Navy commander and a Marine chief warrant officer, after the defense had rejected several other candidates. I didn't want to spread the names and wanted to see what they thought before even hitting publish but it's out there. To Parlatore, the concerns expressed by the AOIC and other SEALs less experienced in combat than Gallagher really boiled down to disputes over how special operators should adapt to the 21st century urban battlefield. The train has left the station and now they cant get off the rails. Was always a jerk. But at the beginning of the probe, two interviews with SEALs still on active duty today seemed to propel the larger NCIS investigation. Gallagher went to trial last summer on charges that he murdered an Islamic State prisoner of war and committed other war crimes in May 2017 outside Mosul, Iraq. Attempting to call attention to (those SEALs) status in the way its been done does not serve the mission or the interests of the Navy, former Petty Officer 1st Class David Shaw told the newspaper. He insisted they all made the story up because THEY were afraid of Giorgio Kirylo testifying that he saw Gallagher try to save the prisoner, and observed no stab wounds on the dead man. On May 28, Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher will be guided into a courtroom inside Naval Base San Diego, where he will face a panel of his peers sifting evidence in a war crimes case. Although only convicted of taking a photograph with a murdered teenage prisoner, his charge sheet accused him of shooting civilians on multiple occasions, possessing a controlled substance, torturing and killing a prisoner, and obstructing justice. Advertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyMessaging Terms, AppAdvertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyCookie PolicyBest Sports Betting SiteMessaging TermsSubscription Terms. They also portrayed the SEALs in Gallagher's platoon Gallagher is 40 years old now. [12], The prosecution's case relied largely on eyewitness testimony, which the defense sought to discredit as merely that of spiteful malcontents who disliked Gallagher's gruff leadership style. After the platoon rotated home to Naval Base Coronado on Sept. 1, 2017, Gallagher called a meeting in their high bay to confront his fellow SEALs about any problems they had with him, according to several NCIS reports. [44] After Richardson's retirement in August 2019, his replacement Admiral Michael M. Gilday took ownership of the request. (AP Photo, File). And they certainly dont murder unarmed prisoners or terrorize civilian populations. This would result in an improvement to Gallagher's pension and retirement benefits. We arent lawyers. Tamara Lawrence said that, as a practice, the Navy does not identify active-duty SEALs. The guy is freaking evil, Miller told the investigators. That's how protective some of these folks are. The SEAL didnt think Gallagher was working on a severely wounded detainee, but the platoon chief was soon assisted by another SO1. We even talked to Jocko Willink about taking pictures just last week. 2023 Barstool Sports. Throughout the trial, Gallagher acted as though it was not he who had been accused of wrongdoing but the investigators, prosecutors and witnesses. But justified or not, whats clear to everyone is that they didnt like the mission. If Gallaghers defense team is right, hell walk out of Naval Base San Diego a free man. This offer contradicted Spencer's public position and was kept secret from Esper. Joseph Warpinski is the lead NCIS special agent assigned to the Gallagher probe. If many of the allegations of the witnesses were untrue or embellished to depose Gallagher, they still worked until the claims hurdled SEAL Team 7 and reached Naval Special Warfare Group 1. Call 1 - 800 - GAMBLER, Best Influencer Marketplace for Advertisers, Best Influencer Marketplace for Influencers & Creators, Best Influencer Marketplace for Agents & Agencies, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Naploetana - Chestnut Hill. When Gallagher was asked by host Pete Hegseth to offer his opinion, Gallagher opined: "this is all about ego and retaliation and this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. Josh Vriens Others were concerned that he was tactically incompetent and temperamentally unfit to lead special operators. Gallaghers case became a cause clbre in conservative circles, with President Trump championing his innocence. Here, his mission was to serve in an advisory role, versus taking part in direct action. The LPO told the investigator that there were other war crimes fellow SEALs witnessed, but he didnt see them. Because of ICFM gains, Islamic State fighters had been pushed back from their main positions and were retreating into the city. [6] The defense also called eyewitnesses, with Marine Staff Sgt. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-navy-seal-eddie-gallagher-was-found-not-guilty-of-murdering-iraqi-captive, Navy SEAL acquitted of killing says he made tactical, ethical, moral mistakes, Navy SEAL Gallagher cleared of most charges, Medic in Navy SEAL case takes blame for killing Islamic State fighter, Trial of Navy SEAL charged with war crimes set to begin, Lawyers for freed Navy SEAL want war crime case dismissed. This story has been updated with the correct name of KPBS Public Media in San Diego. Gallagher went to trial last summer on charges that he murdered an Islamic State prisoner of war and committed other war crimes in May 2017 outside Mosul, Iraq. He came to national attention in the United States after he was charged in September 2018 with ten offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Truth be known, I fucking hate talking about this kinda shit in the military community. A proffer request from one of the two assistant officers in charge of the platoon indicates hes prepared to tell prosecutors that Gallagher called in false target coordinates to engage a mosque," tried to push his platoon into pointless and potentially catastrophic firefights with insurgents and became so mentally unstable that he shouldve been relieved from duty, but wasnt. They trust us with the lives of their people because of the standards to which we hold each other. We were Navy SEALs fighting ISIS in a battle that has been called the most intense urban conflict since World War II. That is best sailor, in all 6 teams on the West Coast: NSWU-1, NSWU-3, SDVT-1. By that time, government records indicate that Alpha Platoon already was embroiled in another probe into war crimes allegations. He was slated to be awarded a Silver Star during that fateful deployment in Mosul when the Jake Portier, and told him they needed to get out of the area.". There is a digital trove of evidence a mile long where Eddie violated dozens of articles of the UCMJ. I think part of this comes out of a misunderstanding about the mission, he told Navy Times. Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. When ISIS launched a counterattack on our partner force, it was our SEAL platoon working in sync firing every single weapon in our arsenal from pistols to 500-pound bombs that stopped the counter-attack during an eight-hour firefight. Multiple pieces of GoPro footage are missing and prosecutors say they cant locate them. Others closer to planning operations inside the platoon expressed deeper concerns about Gallaghers tactical competence and what bait really meant. He was re-interviewed about five months later on Oct. 12 by Warpinski, the lead agent working the case. This is from a large project that will surely shock the military world. That said, facts are facts. Initially, it seemed that no one in the SO1s tower thought Gallagher had shot the girl. After President Trump brought the issue up at a meeting with Chief of Naval Operations John M. Richardson, Admiral Richardson took up the request personally. (Army). Not all the SEALs statements are consistent about what they witnessed or even when the alleged incidents occurred. And others have declined to participate in the ongoing NCIS probe, including a Marine staff sergeant and a pair of Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians attached to the platoon during the 2017 deployment. As it was supposedly being handled, we took matters into our own hands to attempt to stop our chief. In this June 23, 2014, file photo, fighters from the Islamic State group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle on the main road in Mosul, Iraq. Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion. The fact is that we reported these crimes to Portier, who said he would handle it. He was the subject of an investigation into the shooting of a young girl in Afghanistan in 2010, but was cleared of wrongdoing after being investigated by close comrades who had deployed with him. [4] He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1999. That was basically good time. I like talking about fighter jets drawing sky penises and what smells reminds folks of the military. That is best sailor, in all 6 teams on the West Coast: NSWU-1, NSWU-3, SDVT-1. Another sniper who also has indicated he might not testify later told prosecutors that he saw an old man go down, but he didnt see Gallagher shoot him, according to emails to prosecutors provided to Navy Times. Published Jan 25, 2022 9:00 AM EST. (screen shot of YouTube video used as evidence in criminal hearing), The lead petty officer told NCIS that he went and found the officer in charge of the platoon, Lt. Jacob X. As much as some fringe creatures want to argue about our rules of engagement, ROEs were not the problem on this deployment. Many people have asked why we didnt report these crimes as soon as they happened and instead waited months to report them. Gallagher and his commanding officer, Lieutenant Jake Portier, then posed for photographs of them standing over the body with some other nearby SEALs.

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