Trump says he’s asked Navy to rescind awards given to prosecutors in Eddie Gallagher case

President Trump on Wednesday said he has directed the head of the Navy to rescind awards given to the government prosecutors who unsuccessfully tried the war crimes case against former Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.

{mosads}Trump, who championed Gallagher’s case throughout his high-profile trial, said the prosecutors were “ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal.” Gallagher was found not guilty earlier this month of the murder of an ISIS captive and of the attempted murder of Iraqi civilians.

“Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion,” Trump tweeted.

The Prosecutors who lost the case against SEAL Eddie Gallagher (who I released from solitary confinement so he could fight his case properly), were ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal. Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2019

….I am very happy for Eddie Gallagher and his family!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2019

Task and Purpose reported Tuesday that the Navy honored the four attorneys and four legal support staffers involved in the Gallagher case during an award ceremony earlier this month.

The team received Navy Achievement Medals praising its “exceptional witness preparation” and “superb results,” Task and Purpose reported.

The Navy declined to comment on Trump’s tweets.

Gallagher was turned in to authorities last year by members of his own platoon, who said that he shot at several civilians during a 2017 deployment and killed the ISIS captive, who was already injured, with a hunting knife.

The case became a rallying point for conservatives who argued he was being unfairly prosecuted for his actions in Iraq. Trump intervened in the case in March, ordering that he be freed from pretrial confinement.

Gallagher was reportedly among several war-crime cases for which Trump was considering a pardon, though the president has not announced such a move.