Glenn Kirschner Trump's proposed Memorial Day pardons dishonor veterans — and pervert justice
Pardoning war criminals would be the worst way to celebrate a holiday dedicated to those who sacrificed everything so that we can live in a just society.
May 26, 2019, 10:23 AM EDT
By Glenn Kirschner, former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and NBC/MSNBC legal analyst
In May, President Donald Trump pardoned former U.S. Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna, who was convicted of stripping naked, torturing and then executing an unarmed Iraqi man in 2008. We now hear that Trump is considering pardoning other war criminals as some kind of grotesque Memorial Day celebration. While Trump may think such actions honor the sacrifices of our veterans, they actually do a disservice to all law-abiding U.S. soldiers, endanger military members currently serving in hostile environments around the world and send a morally indefensible message to Americans and non-Americans alike. These contemplated pardons represent a degradation — not a celebration — of Memorial Day.
Let’s look at some of the men the president is reportedly thinking about pardoning. Navy Seal Edward Gallagher is scheduled to be tried at court-martial in June. He is charged with multiple counts of murder, obstruction of justice and bringing “discredit upon the armed forces.” In one incident, Gallagher is alleged to have used his sniper rifle to shoot and kill an elderly Iraqi man and a school-aged girl, both unarmed and posing no threat to anyone. He’s also charged with murdering a teenage Islamic fighter — who was being held as a military prisoner — by stabbing him to death and then proudly posing with the corpse. Several of Gallagher’s Navy Seal teammates are expected to testify against him.
more:
http://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-proposed-memorial-day-pardons-dishonor-veterans-pervert-justice-ncna1010241?cid=eml_nbn_20190526
| 
