Fox News Pete Hegseth is pretty much the acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
by digby
As we await what sickening smear Trump has planned for Lt. Col Vindman in retaliation for telling the truth to the congress, check this out:
President Donald J. Trump has decided to restore convicted SEAL Edward Gallagher’s pay grade to chief petty officer, overriding a decision last week by the Navy’s top admiral, both Navy Times and Fox News learned.
Although naval officials and Navy Times discussed Trump’s looming decision on Sunday, it was announced on the morning Fox and Friends show by network contributor Pete Hegseth, who said he spoke directly with the president about intervening in three war crimes cases.
A week before Veterans Day, Trump’s move clears the way to free Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, who was convicted on a pair of murder charges for ordering his platoon to shoot and kill three Afghan men on a motorcycle in 2012 and is serving a 19-year sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.
It also is poised to end the prosecution of Green Beret Maj. Matthew Golsteyn, who is accused of executing a suspected Taliban bomb maker in Helmand Province nine years ago.
“This president recognizes the injustice of it,” Hegseth said during the broadcast. “You train someone to go fight and kill the enemy. Then they go kill the enemy the way someone doesn’t like, and then we put them in jail or we throw the book at them.”
[...]
Rumors swirled throughout the base that senior officers were poised to unleash a series of sanctions on him, including sending him to a Trident Review Board to strip him of the SEAL insignia, whispers also overheard by Gallagher’s defense attorney, Timothy Parlatore.
At the close of business in California, however, no action had been taken by embattled Rear Adm. Colin Green and new rumors percolated out of headquarters that senior officials had stepped in to halt the proceedings.
“We didn’t reach out to the president, but we’re grateful that he’s taking this action,” Parlatore told Navy Times on Monday. “The idea that even after everything Green did to still go after Eddie’s trident, that’s not the action of a SEAL admiral. That’s the action of a petulant child. It’s a good thing the adults in the room are standing up.”
Parlatore said he had yet to speak to Gallagher because it was 4 a.m. in California when Hegseth announced the impending intervention by the president.
“In 3 ½ hours, I have the expectation that Green might still pull Eddie’s trident when he shows up for duty," Parlatore told Navy Times by telephone.
Late Sunday, Parlatore emailed Green’s staff a scathing letter addressed to the admiral, urging him to abandon “your fixation on harming Eddie Gallagher and his family.”
“He has already suffered indignities that vastly outweigh the severity of his alleged offenses. Continued unlawful attacks will serve only to undermines your ability to effectively lead the NSW community,” Parlatore wrote.
Pointing to interviews he conducted with a number of SEALs during his defense of Gallagher, Parlatore wrote that he continued to hear a common complaint that Green’s command “uses operators and then casts them away like garbage the moment they no longer satisfy your needs.”
He seems like a very special fellow.
Stung by a string of scandals, on Tuesday Naval Special Warfare commander Rear Adm. Collin Green issued a four-page “back to basics” directive designed to shore up shoddy conduct, restore moral accountability and create better leaders.
In the wake of Gallagher’s acquittal, Green in August issued a four-page “back to basics” directive designed to shore up shoddy conduct, restore moral accountability and create better leaders.
Released to senior leaders and then obtained by Navy Times, Green’s guidance sought to return his SEAL and boat teams to standards expected of service members across the fleet, with a mandate for leaders to conduct “routine inspections of your units and strictly enforce all Navy grooming and uniform standards, including adherence to all Navy traditions, customs and ceremonies.”
But Parlatore’s letter warned Green that mandating haircuts, outlawing unit patches “are not the problems” plaguing Naval Special Warfare and instead directed Green’s attention to a high tempo of overseas operations “and a lack of proper support from failed leaders” and “scapegoating” Gallagher will only undermine “good order and discipline; men are losing respect and confidence in their leadership.”
Who the hell does this lawyer think he is? Admiral Pete Hegseth?
Pentagon officials did not respond to requests by Navy Times for comment, except to refer all questions to the White House.
The reporter here clearly sides with this looney lawyer and seems to believe the prosecution of Gallagher was tainted by out of control brass and prosecutors.
But this is not right. The president interfering in the Naval procedures for dealing with war crimes like this is just terrifying. Something very bad is happening with the armed services.
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