Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
In a statement released by the White House, President Trump announced that he was ordering the full pardon of three members of the military, who had been criminally charged based on activities carried out in a theatre of war.
Trump pardoned Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, of the 82nd Airborne Division. Lorance has served six years of a 19-year sentence, after being convicted of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
The president also ordered the full pardon of Special Forces Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, a West Point graduate who was awaiting trial for allegedly murdering an Afghan bombmaker in 2010. The trial was scheduled for next year.
Trump also restored the rank of Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL, who was convicted of posing with a corpse of an enemy combatant in Iraq. Gallagher had been acquitted of murder and other serious charges in July 2019.
Over the summer, the president first spoke in favor of service members accused of crimes. This spring, Trump ordered Gallagher moved to less restrictive custody while awaiting trial, and tweeted his congratulations to Gallagher after his murder acquittal.
In May, Trump pardoned Army 1st Lieutenant Michael Behenna, a Ranger who had been convicted of murdering an Iraqi prisoner.
In the White House statement, Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham underscored the notion that Trump will have the last word on military justice.
“The President, as Commander-in-Chief, is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the law is enforced and when appropriate, that mercy is granted,” she wrote. “As the President has stated, ‘when our soldiers have to fight for our country, I want to give them the confidence to fight.’”
1st Lt. Lorance was a new lieutenant in 2012, who had been in command of a platoon in Afghanistan for only two days when he ordered his troops to fire on villagers, killing two men. He then called in false reports over the radio to cover up what had happened. He was immediately turned in by his own men.
"He has served more than six years of a 19-year sentence he received," the White House said Friday. "Many Americans have sought executive clemency for Lorance, including 124,000 people who have signed a petition to the White House, as well as several members of Congress."
Army Major Matthew Golsteyn, of the 3rd Special Forces Group, was charged in 2018 with premeditated murder over a killing that took place in 2010. At the time, Golsteyn was a Captain, leading a Special Forces team during Operation Moshtarak, one of the biggest combat operations of Afghanistan war. Golsteyn was awarded the Silver Star for separate actions during the deployment.
In a job interview with the C.I.A. the following year, Golsteyn admitted that, during the battle, he had killed a suspected bomb maker who had been captured, saying he had done so to protect civilians and his own men.
The Army’s initial investigation resulted in a reprimand but no charges. In 2016 the Army reopened the case and charged Golsteyn with premeditated murder, after he publicly admitted the killing on Fox.
"After nearly a decade-long inquiry and multiple investigations," the White House statement added, "a swift resolution to the case of Major Golsteyn is in the interests of justice."
Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer First Class Edward Gallagher was charged by the Navy in 2018 with shooting civilians in Iraq, killing a captive enemy fighter with a hunting knife, and threatening to kill fellow SEALs if they reported him, among other crimes. The charges stemmed from a 2017 deployment in Iraq when he was leading a SEAL platoon.
After a trial, Gallagher was acquitted by a military jury of all charges except one minor count: bringing discredit on the armed forces, by posing for a photo with the corpse of the captive he was accused of killing. Gallagher was subsequently demoted to Petty Officer First Class.
"Before the prosecution of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward Gallagher, he had been selected for promotion to Senior Chief, awarded a Bronze Star with a 'V' for valor, and assigned to an important position in the Navy as an instructor," the White House said. "Though ultimately acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he was stripped of these honors as he awaited his trial and its outcome. Given his service to our Nation, a promotion back to the rank and pay grade of Chief Petty Officer is justified."
The men cleared by the president offered thanks Friday.
Among a throng of well-wishers, 1st Lt. Lorance stated, “I want to say thank you to President Trump.” “And I want the rest of the country to do that, too.”
On his Instagram account, Chief Gallagher, who a year ago had been facing the prospect of life in prison, thanked his family and thousands of supporters, and praised the president.
“I truly believe that we are blessed as a Nation to have a Commander-in-Chief that stands up for our warfighters, and cares about how they and their families are treated,” he wrote. “Our military is the best in the world, and with steadfast and supportive leadership; like we have in this president, our fighting force will only get stronger.”
Trump is not the first Commander-in-Chief to wield the power of clemency on behalf of convicted members of the military.
George Washington pardoned men convicted of treason in the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791-94 despite howls of protest from other Federalists.
Abraham Lincoln repeatedly pardoned soldiers sentenced to death for desertion, even though his generals warned it would undermine battlefield discipline.
Gerald Ford announced in 1974 at a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that he planned to conditionally pardon 13,000 deserters and draft dodgers, which did not go over well with the audience of war veterans.
Jimmy Carter unconditionally pardoned hundreds of thousands of draft evaders.
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.