President Trump could restore former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s rank back to chief petty officer after his rank was reduced one grade when he was found not guilty of murder and other serious crimes, but convicted for taking a photo with a terrorist corpse, according to Fox News’ Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth reported Monday morning that the president was considering restoring his rank before Veterans Day on November 11. Gallagher was found not guilty in July of murdering a teen Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter and indiscriminately shooting at civilians.
Gallagher was charged with one count related to taking a photo with the ISIS corpse, however. As part of that conviction, the judge in the case ruled that his retired rank be reduced from chief petty officer to 1st class petty officer, which would cost him up to $200,000 in retirement pay.
Gallagher’s wife, Andrea Gallagher, and his brother, Sean Gallagher, told Breitbart News in a statement:
We’re waiting on official action restoring Eddie’s rank, but we’re confident it will happen because President Trump is a true leader and respects our warfighters and their sacrifice. He is the only one amid layers of bureaucratic brass who has done right by our family. Each layer of the Navy leadership has failed epically and the President has had to pick up the pieces. We’re so thankful we have a President like him in office.
Trump’s intervention could come as Navy brass consider taking further actions against Gallagher, according to his wife.
“As @petehegseth indicated [Naval Special Warfare] Leadership is still trying to retaliate against Eddie even after the CNO’s decision,” Gallagher posted on Instagram on Monday.
“NSW brass called Eddie back Nov. 1st where he waited all day while they plotted to potentially pull his Trident & retaliate against other members of his platoon,” she added.
She also noted that as a result of the charges against her husband, he has already lost his promotion to senior chief petty officer, a Silver Star nomination, a coveted instructor position training SEALs, a loss of more than $5,000 in pay, and nine-plus months of his life spent in jail.
She also said their entire family has suffered throughout the ordeal, financially and emotionally.
Hegseth reported on Fox & Friends that Trump may also take action in the cases of Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Army Green Beret Maj. Matt Golsteyn. Trump will be meeting with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy about the cases, and an announcement could come within a week, he reported.
“The president, as the commander-in-chief, has a lot of latitude under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to dismiss a case or change a sentence. From what I understand, that is likely what will happen here shortly,” Hegseth said.
Lorance is serving a 20-year sentence for ordering his men to shoot two suspected Taliban scouts in Afghanistan in 2012.
Golsteyn is a former Green Beret facing murder charges after killing a Taliban bomb-maker in Afghanistan in 2010. The Army opened an initial investigation into Golsteyn in 201o but did not find sufficient evidence to bring charges. It reopened an investigation in 2016 and charged Golsteyn in 2018.
Follow Breitbart News’ @Kristina_Wong.