Center for American Progress

Trump Will Disgrace Memorial Day by Pardoning Convicted and Accused War Criminals
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Trump Will Disgrace Memorial Day by Pardoning Convicted and Accused War Criminals

Author Lawrence J. Korb argues that if President Trump moves forward with pardons for four individuals accused or convicted of war crimes, he will jeopardize national security and undermine the laws of armed combat.

President Trump has made requests for the paperwork of four individuals, who have been accused or convicted of war crimes, for the purpose of pardoning them on Memorial Day.

One is for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy Seal who is scheduled to stand trial at the end of May for shooting unarmed civilians – specifically, a young woman and an unarmed elderly man, as well as killing a 15-year-old captive with a knife while deployed to Iraq in 2017. Second is Major Mathew Golsteyn, an Army Green Beret convicted of killing an unarmed Afghan in 2010. Third, a group of Marine Corp snipers who urinated on the corpses of dead Taliban fighters. Fourth, a Blackwater contractor convicted of shooting dozens of unarmed Iraqis.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Daily Beast. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Lawrence J. Korb

Senior Fellow