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A US Navy officer SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq and Donald Trump plans to pardon was allowed to see his wife.
The head of special operations, Edward Gallagher, is accused of killing an injured Islamic State prisoner under his care in Iraq in 2017.
He is currently being held in a California jail while he was accused of repeatedly plunking a knife into the injured body of a young fighter of the Islamic State. shooting innocent civilians in Iraq.
Navy Seal Edward Gallagher, accused of war crimes, was allowed to see him with his wife Andrea for the second time. They are photographed here together in an undated photo
After finding his wife Andrea and his children for the first time since his arrest in 2017, he was allowed to spend more time with his wife.
He found Andrea and their children for the first time since his arrest in 2017, according to undated photos provided by his legal team.
This comes amid reports that Trump has asked for the paperwork necessary to obtain pardon, suggesting that the latest announcements could take place on Remembrance Day. Trump and his family will be in Japan during the holidays on Monday.
Dozens of Republican congressmen defended Gallagher's cause, claiming he was an innocent war hero pursued unjustly.
Trump removed him from his brigade station and placed him in a military hospital, where he would have access to his lawyers and his family.
Gallagher was a highly regarded special warfare operator who won numerous awards during his eight missions.
Trump said Friday that he was considering the pardon of "two or three" American soldiers accused of war crimes, including Gallagher.
He agreed that the decision would be controversial but justified because they had been treated "unfairly".
"Some of these soldiers are people who fought a long time. You know, we teach them to become great fighters and, when they fight, they are really treated very unfairly, Trump said.
He did not identify the cases he was examining.
On May 18, the New York Times reported that Trump had asked the Department of Justice to draft documents on a number of high-profile war crimes cases to announce possible pardons around the US memorial commemorating fallen soldiers in combat. This year's holidays must be celebrated on Sundays.
Trump said Friday that he was considering the grace of "two or three" American soldiers accused of war crimes, including Gallagher (pictured)
Gallagher is currently being held in a California jail while he was accused of repeatedly plunking a knife into the wounded body of an Islamic State fighter and fired upon. innocent civilians.
Gallagher, 39, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Defense lawyers said the charges against him were fabricated by junior members of the SEAL team, unhappy with his leadership style and seeking to force him out.
Gallagher's lawsuit was delayed this week until June 10 at the earliest. His lawyer told Reuters that he had not asked for pardon and Gallagher declined to comment on the possibility of presidential leniency when reporters questioned him.
The appointment of the latter to the defense team of former federal prosecutor Marc Mukasey, one of Trump's personal attorneys and Trump's attorney's associate, Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, appeared today even more promising.
In March, Trump moved Gallagher from the brig to a better confinement at a San Diego military hospital, allowing him to consult with his lawyers and his family.
Gallagher has found his family for the first time in April since his arrest in 2017
Another contributor to Giuliani, former New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik – who served three years in a federal corruption case – is an investigator from Gallagher's defense team.
Mukasey, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, rejected the idea of apologizing to Gallagher.
"I have a job to do in the audience room. I have no idea if anything else is going on, "he said.
Gallagher's wife denied any suggestion of impropriety with respect to the Chief Commander's lawyer joining her husband's court martial defense.
"There is no direct conflict in my mind," she told Reuters on Friday. "Marc Mukasey did not speak to the president.
In March, Trump spoke for the first time publicly in the Gallagher case, ordering the accused to move to a less restrictive pre-trial detention "in the honor of his past service to our country".
Gallagher was a highly regarded special warfare operator who won numerous awards during his eight tours of office prior to his arrest.
"The president did not speak to him. So, I think the insinuation that a lawyer representing one individual represents another actually only falsifies a conspiracy that does not exist. "
Gallagher's Chief Civil Lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, told reporters Wednesday following a hearing at the San Diego Naval Base: "If the President decides to intervene, it's a good thing. is what the commander does. "
Last March, Trump publicly took a stand on the Gallagher case, ordering the accused to move to a less restrictive pre-trial detention "in the honor of his past service to our country."
Gary Solis said that Trump dishonored all members of the armed forces who respect the laws of war by considering the grace of a soldier who defied orders.
A number of conservative commentators have urged him to forgive Gallagher.
Critics say it would prejudge justice, undermine military discipline and send the message that battlefield atrocities will be tolerated.
Many veterans have been frustrated by reports that Trump is intent on forgiving suspected war criminals on Remembrance Day, for which they are honored by the country.
Gary Solis, a former military judge, prosecutor and navy, told Quartz: "It's about a serial dealer who wants to play the role of general. This shows the ignorance of the president.
Solis claimed that Trump dishonors all members of the armed forces who adhere to the laws of war by considering the pardon of soldiers who defied orders.
"The president's ruling does not respect the civil law either, because every offense within the meaning of the US Code of Military Justice is also a federal crime," notes Solis.
As the president is responsible for signing amendments that implement and improve the military code, and that Trump has already signed two, it will also undermine his own work, says the former navy.
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