eddie gallagher accusers

eddie gallagher accusers


[55], In March 2020, David Martin of CBS News interviewed Gallagher, his wife, and his attorney on the CBS program 60 Minutes.[56]. The charges were lodged and prosecution depended heavily on statements made against Gallagher by platoon mates who deployed with him to Iraq to fight ISIS in 2017. 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. Throughout the trial, Gallagher acted as though it was not he who had been accused of wrongdoing but the investigators, prosecutors and witnesses. [1] Some potential witnesses were non-cooperative, citing the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination when refusing to testify. NCIS reported that a second class petty officer also saw Gallagher stab the prisoner, but later internal messages shared between defense attorneys and Navy officials appear to indicate that he thought the chief sank his knife into the detainees torso and the boy already had died. Gallagher also was present when the prisoner received a trachea tube, two chest tubes and a Sternal Intraosseous Infusion, which bores through bone to reach veins when other IVs wont work, records indicate. I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards", "Lawyer for Eddie Gallagher Says Acquitted Navy SEAL Owes Him Up to $1 Million", "Navy Reduces Punishment for SEAL in War Crimes Case", "Report: Trump makes SEAL Gallagher a chief again", "Navy secretary strongly considering resigning over Trump's meddling in SEAL case", "Trump ordered Gallagher be allowed to retire as Navy SEAL, defense secretary says", "Esper says Trump ordered him to stop SEAL review board", "Eddie Gallagher controversy: Esper fires Navy secretary, SEAL will keep Trident pin, Pentagon says", "Esper says Trump ordered him to allow Gallagher to keep his Trident pin and remain a SEAL", "Does Trump's Navy SEAL pardon undermine military justice? So he begins to see things the way theyd want to see them.. Absolutely. There were differences of opinion about how they should conduct operations. The LPO told NCIS that he informed both Portier and his assistant officer in charge of the platoon about the alleged murder. [33], After the trial, it was considered possible that Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, the SEAL Medic whose surprise testimony dismantled the prosecution's case, would be prosecuted for perjury; however, Chief of Naval Operations John M. Richardson stripped Navy prosecutors of their authority to charge Scott with perjury. The decorated Navy Seal was also accused of being reckless with his sniper rifle, and some of his platoon mates alleged that he shot at unarmed civilians. The AOIC told Gallagher this sort of training by fire was extremely unnecessary but Gallagher shot back that his junior SEALs were all a bunch of pussies" and needed the experience, the document states, The lieutenant said he became so alarmed by Gallaghers tactical acumen that he began examining the plans for every proposed mission in order to mitigate the risks, and tried to go out on every operation he could to make sure that the lives of his teammates werent being unnecessarily jeopardized.. 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. A pirate is someone who is a little bit sloppier, messier, but is still a very effective fighter, Dylan Dille, another SEAL sniper and one of Gallaghers accusers, says in the first episode. 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. 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. He was slated to be awarded a Silver Star during that fateful deployment in Mosul when the They want to do what SEALs do, things like raids where they can rehearse the operation to perfection. According to the claim, Gallagher allegedly threatened to kill fellow SEALs if they reported his actions. This is a false narrative peddled by Gallagher and his supporters. In addition to being found innocent on the first-degree murder charge, Chief Gallagher was also found not guilty of attempted murder of Iraqi civilians and of obstruction of justice. Iraqi security forces distribute food to refugees from Badush outside of a patrol base near Al Tarab, Iraq during the offensive to liberate West Mosul from ISIS, on March 10, 2017. But the one thing that they did have were these photographs that Gallagher sent out to people in the United States and other members of the platoon with him posing with a knife up to the dead detainee. A pirate is someone who is a little bit sloppier, messier, but is still a very effective fighter, Dylan Dille, another SEAL sniper and one of Gallaghers accusers, says in the first episode. I didn't want to spread the names and wanted to see what they thought before even hitting publish but it's out there. A telling text seems to suggest that one of the SEAL witnesses at one point tried to get others in the platoon together to make sure their stories jibed with what theyd tell investigators, according to evidence files provided to Navy Times. Real brothers dont needlessly put their men at risk. He insisted they all made the story up because THEY were afraid of (photos provided). His actions are everything ISIS says we are. Theres nothing in that video thats not already public, he told the newspaper. And when our EOD technician was shot on a rooftop, it was Medic Corey Scott who immediately treated him and formulated a plan to get him off the roof as Lt. Tom MacNeil called in a medical evacuation in defiance of Lt. Jake Portier, our platoon leader, who ordered him not to do so because we were in a restricted area. Around noon, the SO1 said he panned north along the banks of the Tigris River, watching a path used by refugee families to escape Islamic State-controlled Mosul. I thought, well hoped after the fact, that these military pardons would lead to something good. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. I've certainly never heard of anything like this happening. That was basically good time. The accusations against Eddie were numerous, with the most prominent being the alleged murder of an Iraqi prisoner of war. And he told Warpinski he wasnt alone in the southern tower Lt. Portier, a staff sergeant from Marine Forces Special Operations Command and an SO1 from DEVGRU were with him. [19] The president's move also favored several other military members accused of misconduct: in addition to Gallagher, Lieutenant Clint Lorance was ordered freed; and the prosecution of Matthew Golsteyn was ended. We even talked to Jocko Willink about taking pictures just last week. The LPO got the impression that Gallagher had no intention of avoiding committing the same acts again and told NCIS the chief said, They do a lot worse to us.. [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]. Or check out the latest stories on our homepage. Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. The fact is that we reported these crimes to Portier, who said he would handle it. Truth is our best defense and we think that once everyone hears what really happened, Eddie will be exonerated.. All right, Steve Walsh of KPBS in San Diego, thank you very much. In a statement to the paper, Naval Special Warfare Command spokeswoman Capt. They also portrayed the SEALs in Gallagher's platoon Gallagher is 40 years old now. 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. And a fellow sniper intends to tell the panel that Gallagher claimed, he averaged three kills a day over 80 days, according to legal filings obtained by Navy Times. 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. On September 11, 2018, Gallagher was arrested at Camp Pendleton and charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, obstruction of justice, and other offenses. [9], Gallagher was involved in controversies and investigations, but received few formal reprimands. After two weeks of testimony, Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher was found not guilty yesterday of murdering a suspected ISIS prisoner in Iraq. His son was 6. During Alpha Platoons deployment, the SO1 had served as the lead petty officer, or LPO, and his initial statement to NCIS took the agent back to Badush a village in the suburbs of Mosul in early May of 2017, when the platoon was conducting an Advise, Assist and Accompany, or AAA, mission with Iraqi coalition forces members. [28] This potential pardon was hotly criticized in the Washington Post's opinion pages. The problem is, once they get what they wanted, the process doesnt stop. As usual, Fox News figures prominently. Barstool Sportsbook has arrived in PA, MI, IL, IN, CO, VA, NJ, TN, AZ, IA, WV, LA, KS, MD, OH, MA. Concerns about Gallaghers tactical judgment during the 2017 deployment pepper the NCIS files provided to Navy Times. [10] He allegedly tried to run over a Navy police officer with his car in 2014, after being detained at a traffic stop. So, in addition to having those SEALs, who I guess their testimony was simply not believed by the jury, there was also this piece of evidence of texts that Gallagher had sent to a fellow SEAL. These werent SEAL tactics. When our injured partners from the Iraqi Army flooded into our casualty collection point, our medics spent their free time saving their lives. 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. 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. They said that he went up in the sniper tower and shot at civilians. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. "The guy was toxic," said SO1 Joshua Vriens. On June 17, 2017, the LPO rotated home on leave to witness the birth of his child but when he returned to Iraq he began hearing rumors about (Gallagher) killing civilians on the battlefield, according to the report. They have no body in this case, very little forensic evidence. 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. 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. WebEddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL) Edward R. Gallagher (born May 29, 1979) [1] is a retired United States Navy SEAL who was accused of war crimes. Last summer, Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was acquitted of shooting civilians and killing a captive ISIS fighter. I just want to make clear that this small group of SEALs that decided to concoct this story in no way, shape or form represent the community that I have, you know, loved and gave my soul to. To the SO1, it was a sign that Gallagher was putting his beliefs into action. Three other SEALs are slated to say their platoon chief took "random shots, sometimes into buildings, where he claimed to have killed someone, similar filings allege. [18][19] This was the first time a President directly intervened in an imprisonment conditions matter since President Richard Nixon intervened in favor of Lieutenant William Calley, one of the perpetrators of the My Lai Massacre, by ordering him released from a military brig to house arrest in 1971. From other NCIS and Iraqi records provided to Navy Times, it can be pinpointed to May 3, 2017 less than a month after Alpha Platoon began their tour and the ICFM were members of the Iraqi Emergency Response Division, the Ministry of the Interiors elite special forces unit. Raiders. [11][9] Gallagher pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. But he said Portier wanted to hold off reporting the incident until he determined Iraqi security forces hadnt shot the girl. Platoon members said they saw Chief Gallagher shoot civilians and fatally stab a wounded captive with a hunting knife. He was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit until he enrolled in Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL (BUD/S) class 252 to become a Navy SEAL in 2005. Joseph Warpinski is the lead NCIS special agent assigned to the Gallagher probe. He insisted they all made the story up because THEY were afraid of Two other SEALs who also deployed with Gallagher but did not testify in his trial told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday speaking out against the retired Chiefs identifying currently serving SEAL Team members. The SO1 sniper told Warpinski that on the day Gallagher allegedly murdered the prisoner of war, he had returned to the compound and found him speaking to an SO2 at a computer the platoon used to store photos and videos. But, on this last charge, the least serious of the seven charges, the jury decided to give him the maximum sentence, which is this four months in jail, and they reduced him in rank from a chief petty officer to a petty officer 1st class. I mean, he had NEVER TAKEN A PICTURE WITH HIS KID. He made the tactical decisions and we carried them out. There is a digital trove of evidence a mile long where Eddie violated dozens of articles of the UCMJ. There is a digital trove of evidence a mile long where Eddie violated dozens of articles of the UCMJ. Following his Navy career, Gallagher began commercial ventures including an action figure, [4] He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1999. These werent SEAL tactics. "[53], After the verdicts, sentence and pardon, the New York Times revisited the case and accessed, using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), investigative reports and also videos of interviews in which six SEALs under the command of Gallagher had separately extensively detailed his ongoing prohibited combat zone behavior, sometimes crying as they recounted the abuse. Gallagher was hugging his wife. Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. 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. He remembered attending Bible study at the home of the chief and his wife, Andrea, who led the class. [51] Gallagher's case was scheduled for a hearing by the Navy SEAL review board on December 2, 2019. [30], On June 20, 2019, during Gallagher's trial, one of the platoon medics from Gallagher's team testifying as a prosecution witness said that although Gallagher did stab the ISIS fighter, he did not actually kill him. And still more SEALs say theyll tell the panel that Gallagher attempted to cover up these alleged crimes by threatening to murder witnesses and embarking on a campaign to identify other whistleblowers, get them blacklisted in the special warfare community and ruin their careers. For that, he was demoted one rank. But we trusted Jake. Others were angry that he had been recommended for a post-tour combat valor award the Silver Star an honor they thought he didnt deserve. Sometimes Lt. Portier would make excuses for Gallagher, and sometimes he assured us that he had taken action against him. Investigators later placed the alleged incident in July, without specifying the date. Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. Process should move quickly! He also told NCIS that Gallagher had shot at but missed another young girl in a previous incident. But President Donald Trump reinstated his rating late last year. He's been following the story for KPBS Public Media in San Diego, and he was there for the verdict and sentencing today. Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. His fellow SEALs told Naval Criminal Investigative Services following the deployment that Gallagher had shot a young girl while on sniper duty, fired at civilians on other occasions and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter then posed with the corpse for a photograph. Apparently, he sent a photograph of the captive's body. The train has left the station and now they cant get off the rails. [44] After Richardson's retirement in August 2019, his replacement Admiral Michael M. Gilday took ownership of the request. 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. They were very celebratory. But thats not what they were being asked to do in Iraq and they were blaming their frustrations on Eddie., Special Operations Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, is fighting murder charges tied to the death of an Islamic State operative in Iraq. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. It is not always pretty, but just like first responders, that is the nature of our work. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. 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. Gallaghers case became a cause clbre in conservative circles, with President Trump championing his innocence. [5], Gallagher was also charged with nearly a dozen lesser offenses. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. The SO1 sniper said that the northern tower was occupied by Gallagher and two second class petty officers from SEAL Team 7. Many have asked, How could you turn in a brother? Let me clarify something: Gallagher was our Chief. When seemingly endless processions of women, children and elderly people were fleeing ISIS, we offered up what little MREs and water we had, and gave medical care when possible. Was always a jerk. 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. The LPO told NCIS that Gallagher later approached him and said hed killed four women today," alleged war crimes the SO1 said he repeated to Portier and another lieutenant. Text messages and other digital conversations involving Gallagher can appear damning at times, but theyve been described by the chiefs supporters as dark humor, the talk of rough men who have experienced a great deal of combat, maybe the voice of an exasperated SEAL who believes hes being railroaded by accusers and superiors. As it was supposedly being handled, we took matters into our own hands to attempt to stop our chief. The problem was one mans insecurities, greed, and addiction. Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. And while press reports suggested Scott could conceivably be charged with perjury, the Navy dropped their investigation into his statements shortly after Gallagher's acquittal. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. SEALs. You have been through much together. Our deployment to Mosul in 2017 had the potential to be one of the most kinetic deployments in recent Naval Special Warfare history. To attempt to out (their) status raises questions about the decision to do so.. [16] The defense argued that Gallagher's text messages merely reflected dark comedy in a stressful situation, and that his more outrageous boasts, such as killing twenty people a day, were clearly impossible. [39][36] President Trump congratulated Gallagher on his acquittal over Twitter. [9], During his eighth deployment in 2017, Gallagher's aggressiveness seemed to be amplified during the Battle for Mosul. [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. [15] As a result of the spying controversy, the judge ordered Gallagher freed from prison while awaiting trial as a remedy to interference from the prosecution. Rob Breisch, while we were still in Iraq. One of the SEALs overhead the chief say he was OK with shooting women and another saw him fire into a crowd of what appeared to be noncombatants multiple times," records state. I doubt Eddie Gallagher is thumbing away on his computer and coming up with these graphics and effects himself. He told NCIS it had a blade a few inches long, although photographs of the weapon make it look stubbier. "[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. Two of the other girls ran away and over a berm out of sight. Our senior leaders created the ethos to address moral failures that were happening at home and overseas during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. Initially, it seemed that no one in the SO1s tower thought Gallagher had shot the girl. He insisted that he then saw the chief stab the ISIS fighter multiple times in the right side of the neck in a manner that was in no way a medical procedure, according to an NCIS report. 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. We know that mistakes and accidents happen on deployment and innocent people always die in war. 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. [40] Four weeks later, President Trump announced over Twitter he had directed the Secretary of the Navy to revoke Navy Achievement Medals given to members of the prosecution team that oversaw Gallagher's case.

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