Trump forgives a former soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi prisoner

President TrumpDonald John TrumpKamala Harris: Barr lied to Trump addressed to Congress by Palestinians in Gaza: "Stop the violence and work for peace" O. Rourke: The Mueller Report Says the Need for an Removal Against Trump MORE Monday signed an executive pardon granting full pardon to a former first lieutenant of the army convicted of murdering an Iraqi prisoner.

The White House issued a statement announcing Trump's decision to pardon Michael Behenna, sentenced in 2009 to 15 years in jail for shooting Ali Mansur Mohamed and killing him. This decision comes after the Attorney General of Oklahoma asked Trump to pardon Behenna.

"The case of Mr. Behenna has garnered broad support from the military, elected representatives of Oklahoma and the public," said the White House, noting that more than two dozen generals and veterans of the United Admirals, as well as many officials from Oklahoma, had expressed their support for Behenna, who comes from within the state. The statement adds that Behenna was "a model prisoner".

"In light of these facts, Mr Behenna fully deserves this concession of clemency of the executive," reads the statement.

Prosecutors claimed that Behenna had shot down Mansor, an alleged al-Qaida operative, in the desert in 2008 in retaliation for an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. Mansur had previously been released for lack of evidence of his links with the terrorist group. Behenna would have killed him while he was returning him to his hometown after attempting to interrogate him about the attack by trapped guns.

Behenna was released on parole in 2014 and was to remain on parole until 2024 before pardon. Oklahoma's attorney general Mike Hunter (R) recently asked the Trump administration to pardon the Oklahoma native, writing to Attorney General Bill Barr in April that Behenna had been convicted for reasons given by a jury and that the defense attorneys. Hunter had already asked for grace in February 2018.

Hunter's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.