Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was acquitted of war crimes and had a minor charge cleared by President Trump last year, launched a scathing social media attack on members of his platoon who testified against him at his San Diego court-martial last June.
Why it matters: Gallagher referred to some of his former platoon members as "cowards" in a three-minute video posted Monday, which included clips from Navy investigators' interviews of his SEAL teammates. The video highlights the names, photos, duty status and current units for some members of his former platoon, a move that "former SEALs say places those men — and the Navy’s mission — in jeopardy," writes the San Diego Union-Tribune, which first reported on it.
What he's saying:
"On September 11, 2018, I was arrested and charged with war crimes which I did not commit. My family and I then had to fight for my freedom. Even though I went to trial, exposed all the lies that were said about me by certain cowards in my platoon, and found not guilty, there are those to this day who refuse to accept that fact. I wanted to put this all behind me and move on with my life. Unfortunately, the fight to clear my name is not over. ... For those who have and continue to slander my name, the truth is coming."
Flashback: Gallagher was accused of war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, with allegations including stabbing a sedated teenage ISIS fighter to death for no apparent reason, then ordering platoon members to gather around the corpse for a photo.
- He was acquitted of most of the charges, but convicted for the photo, and his rank was reduced until Trump intervened last year.
- In video testimonies obtained by the New York Times last year, platoon members described Gallagher as "evil" and "toxic."
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