On Thursday, responding to the U.S. Navy’s stated intention to remove naval officer Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin after President Trump had restored Gallagher´s rank to Chief Petty Officer last Friday, Trump fired back, tweeting, “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2019
After Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to cancel demoting Gallagher’s rank from Chief Petty Officer to Petty Officer First Class, Navy commanders started to strip Gallagher of his SEAL status. As The Washington Times reported, Rear Adm. Collin Green told a staff meeting on Monday that he wanted to remove Gallagher’s Trident Pin. The Times continued:
Green on Wednesday planned to notify Gallagher that he has called for a peer-review process, known as a Trident Review Board, to assess whether his fellow SEALs believe he is still suitable to remain on the elite force, said two U.S. officials familiar with the case but not authorized to speak publicly. Green also is calling for a peer-review of three SEAL officers who oversaw Gallagher during his deployment to Iraq in 2017 – Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch, Lt. Jacob Portier and Lt. Thomas MacNeil, according to the officials.
The Trident Pin recognizes Seals who have completed the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, completed SEAL Qualification Training and designated as Seals.
Gallagher’s attorney Marc Mukasey. told DailyMail.com that Gallagher’s rights “were violated over and over again. We exposed the misconduct and beat the fabricated charges at trial … What the bureaucracy is doing to him now is pure and simple retaliation.”
Tim Parlatore, who also represents Gallagher, echoed, “What I’m hearing is that the rear admiral said very disparaging comments about the president and stated his disagreement with the president’s actions and said therefore I want to move forward in removing his Trident.”
The Daily Mail added, “Last month, Adm. Mike Gilday, the U.S. chief of naval operations, denied a request for clemency for Gallagher and upheld the military jury’s sentence. Parlatore said a loss of rank would have cost Gallagher up to $200,000 in retirement funds.”
Gilday´s spokesman, Cmdr. Nate Christensen, said the chief of naval operations supports his commanders including Green.”
In issuing clemency to Gallagher, the White House wrote:
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. 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 BBC reported, “Edward Gallagher was accused of stabbing an unarmed 17-year-old Islamic State group prisoner to death and randomly shooting Iraqi civilians. He was acquitted of those charges and convicted only of the lesser charge of posing with the IS prisoner’s corpse.”