Trump Pardons War Criminals to Show Just How Pro-Military He Is

Come 2020 nobody is going to out-hawk him on that one

The US produces numerous war criminals, convicts only a handful of those, and now even those are now pardoned

Even with all the wars the US is presently involved in and all the shady activity that goes with that, it’s fairly unusual for the military to get around to charging personnel with war-crimes. When they do, however, military commanders try to emphasize the importance, both to show the military doesn’t let everyone get away with everything, and to deter personnel from ignoring the chain of command.

On Friday, however, President Trump knocked out three of those war-crimes cases with full pardons. The White House statement said they wanted to give US soldiers the “confidence to fight.”

Maj. Matthew Golsteyn was being held on charges of murdering an Afghan detainee. He repeatedly admitted to doing so. Trump had repeatedly expressed support for Golsteyn and for the killing.

Golsteyn was told by an Afghan tribal elder that the murder victim, Rasoul, was Taliban, and detained him on that basis. The military required Rasoul’s release after the maximum time of detention without charges, so Golsteyn let him go, and ambushed and murdered him outside the base. Golsteyn has recently tried to rebrand this as a legal ambushing, arguing that he suspected Rasoul was “trying to rejoin the Taliban” since he was released.

Lt. Clint Lorance was convicted of two murder charges for ordering troops to murder Afghans on motorcycles. He had been serving 19 years in prison. The killing was detailed in the Starz documentary “Leavenworth,” where platoon members discussed the killings.

SEAL Edward Gallagher was facing a murder charge for posing for a photo with a corpse, in addition to already being found guilty of posing for the photo in general. Trump not only pardoned Gallagher, but restored his rank to Chief Petty Officer.

The Pentagon’s commanders are deeply concerned about these moves, and had been trying to talk Trump out of them. They argue that military discipline will suffer if soldiers believe they can ignore military rules on the assumption of a pardon.

Trump’s position is built around showing that he is so pro-military that he can excuse war crimes, including murder, on the basis that the soldiers are supposed to be killing the enemy anyhow, and it’s unfair to judge just how they kill.

Source: Antiwar.com

16 Comments
  1. Jozo Magoc says

    UK does pardon their war crimminals also,at yhe same time…Heavily JUDAISED countries and ” anglo-americans”,with One Party system divided into two colors: Red Republicans/ Labour Party & Blue Démon/ rats/ Tory Gang-both in pocjets of Rat-childs and Rock-efellers…

  2. DarkEyes says

    IMO, the President is in silence, indicating who are the real culprits of these cases.
    These men, well drilled and well trained, are not acting without orders from their superior(s).
    To avoid be courtmashalled a soldier is carrying out orders from his superiors. Why should he sit time in the Kit while the superior is running free.
    Well done, Mr Trump of US.

    We are talking Military Organization.
    Their are no bad soldiers only bad Commanding Officers.

  3. Nick Rhynes says

    OF course, the real reason the orange clown did this is to try to appear a tough guy, which he has forever tried to accomplish with little to no serious results. He is a draft dodging, lying, cheating carnival barker. And a coward.

  4. Mary E says

    Trump, as usual, has overstepped the line…and inserted himself in a military
    criminal trial. Totally WRONG!! The man has to GO!
    And by going to Walter Reed for his faux ‘partial annual physical’, he is giving himself an out – he can resign saying he is ‘sick’!! Just get out no matter how you do it, Pal!

  5. Séamus Ó Néill says

    Every single American President, never mind serving soldiers, are and were war criminals. Every single one,without exception, engaged in psychopathic war crimes, genocide, slavery, famine, murder, chemical weapons etc, etc. One war criminal pardoning another is a bit paradoxical, but sure it’s the American way

  6. Mary E says

    Trump is a criminal who is willing to pardon other criminals…in this case, he is literally pandering to the Pentagon…which he has bucked from the time he was unduly elected.
    But his time is about up one way or another…in the meantime, he can do things like this which really encourages mass shooters in his country! All the way around, the US is the most violent of all governments…and takes that violence all over the world – that is power! But it is ill used…and China and Russia will provide the proof of that – and end the US swaggering around the world. It will be a great day for humanity!!

    1. Nick Rhynes says

      Sorry, say what you will about trump but I’ll take American democracy over plutocracies and kleptocracies any day.

      1. Mary E says

        Do you reallllly think the US is a Democracy????

        1. Nick Rhynes says

          democratic elections, in theory, lol

      2. Séamus Ó Néill says

        American democracy, like American intelligence, is an oxymoron !

  7. CHUCKMAN says

    Trump always appeals to the lowest instincts in almost every matter he becomes involved with.

    The officers who tried appealing to him on the basis of discipline are, of course, absolutely right.

    But “right” – like “decency” or “fairness” or “justice” – has no hold on this contemporary American hero. This bizarre dyed-yellow cockatoo-like figure with a big paunch and an even bigger mouth.

    He finds his audience and applause in latrines and sleazy bars everywhere.

    1. Mary E says

      You nailed it!

  8. chris chuba says

    SEAL Edward Gallagher was exonerated on the testimony of a medic who informed the jury that he suffocated the wounded prisoner before Gallagher’s knife wounds from the stabbing killed him. Pete Hegseth calls this an ‘alleged war crime’.

    I feel bad for Roger Stone. He actually is a victim of a political thought crime but he will never get a pardon. Trump only pardons war criminals.

    1. Undecider says

      The medic/corpsman was lying and knew it.

    2. Nick Rhynes says

      Stone was guilty as hell.

      He’ll still get pardoned.

  9. JustPassingThrough says

    there is nooooo free lunch.
    pleasant dreams morons.

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