President Donald Trump highlighted his administration's record of pardoning service members accused of war crimes during his first term. He revealed that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth played a significant role in advocating for these pardons.
Trump mentioned that Hegseth would call him to support service members facing war crime charges, emphasizing that they were simply carrying out their military training. The President credited Hegseth for his aggressive military advocacy, which led to the release of several soldiers from jail.
In November 2019, Trump granted pardons to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, and Navy Special Warfare Operator Chief Eddie Gallagher. Lorance was serving a 19-year sentence for ordering his soldiers to fire on unarmed Afghan civilians, while Golsteyn faced charges for killing an alleged Taliban bomb maker. Gallagher was acquitted of murder but convicted of posing inappropriately with a corpse.
Trump criticized what he referred to as liberal elements within the military for incarcerating these soldiers, arguing that they were trained to eliminate threats. Hegseth, a former news host and Army National Guard member, vocally supported these service members, asserting they were warriors, not criminals.
During Hegseth's confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense, he expressed a desire to ensure that legal constraints did not hinder soldiers from effectively engaging the enemy. He emphasized the importance of rules of engagement that support military success without unnecessary restrictions.
Lawmakers raised concerns during Hegseth's confirmation hearing, pointing out that fellow service members had reported the actions of Lorance and Gallagher as war crimes. Senator Jack Reed highlighted the importance of upholding ethical standards in combat situations.
Hegseth's military background includes deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he earned two Bronze Star Medals for his heroic service in combat zones.
While the Department of Defense did not provide additional comments on potential future pardons for service members accused of war crimes, the Trump administration's stance on military justice remains a topic of debate.
