President Donald Trump granted clemency to Army Maj. Matt Golsteyn and 1st Lt. Clint Lorance on Friday, who were accused of war crimes.
Lorance served more than six years of a 19-year sentence he received after he was found guilty for ordering his men in Afghanistan to engage a motorcycle with three men on it.
“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,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
Lorance was released from prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on Friday night.
Golsteyn was scheduled for a trial after killing a terrorist bomb-maker after he was released from detention.
“After nearly a decade-long inquiry and multiple investigations, a swift resolution to the case of Major Golsteyn is in the interests of justice,” the White House statement from Grisham said.
Several members of Congress advocated for Golsteyn’s clemency as well as Clay Higgins, American author and Marine combat veteran, Bing West, and Army combat veteran Pete Hegseth of Fox News.
The president also restored the rank and honors of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward Gallagher.
Gallagher was found not guilty of murdering an ISIS fighter in Iraq in 2017 but was convicted for posing in a photo with a dead ISIS fighter.
“For more than two hundred years, presidents have used their authority to offer second chances to deserving individuals, including those in uniform who have served our country,” Grisham said. “These actions are in keeping with this long history.”
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