- Navy SEAL Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher is accused of stabbing a teenage ISIS soldier to death and staging a re-enlisment ceremony over the soldier's body.
- While Gallagher's Article 32 hearing with the Navy progresses, he's being held at San Diego's Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar.
- A group of 40 lawmakers led by South Carolina congressman Ralph Norman petitioned on behalf of Gallagher to move him to a "less severe form of restraint."
- On Saturday morning, President Trump tweeted that Gallagher "will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement."
President Trump is intervening on behalf of a Navy SEAL who is accused of stabbing a teenage ISIS soldier to death and staging a re-enlisment ceremony over the soldier's body
Trump tweeted on Saturday morning that Navy SEAL Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher "will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court."
Gallagher is facing an Article 32 hearing and a potential court-martial; he is accused of murdering a wounded ISIS combatant during a 2017 deployment to Iraq. After an air strike, US forces reportedly captured an ISIS soldier and turned him over to SEALs for medical treatment. While the fighter was receiving treatment, Gallagher allegedly attacked and killed the man, according to Task & Purpose.
Prosecutors say that Gallagher posed with the body, cradling its head for a photo, which he would text with the caption "got him with my hunting knife," according to Task & Purpose.
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Gallagher is currently being held at San Diego's Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar, and has been held there since his arrest in September 2018. Gallagher's wife Andrea Gallagher told American Military News that his confinement has made him unable, "to properly prepare for trial, receive medical treatment and see his family."
A group of 40 lawmakers led by South Carolina congressman Ralph Norman urged Navy Rear Admiral Yancy B. Lindsey to move Gallagher to a "less severe form of restraint" as he awaits trial, a letter from the group said.
Congressman Norman directly appealed to President Trump as well.
"This morning, I spoke with President @realDonaldTrump by phone about Navy SEAL #EddieGallagher," Norman tweeted on Friday. "And I want to thank the President for deciding to move Chief Ghallager to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court."
It's not clear when Gallagher will be moved, to where he is being moved, nor is it clear how that process will work. Spokespeople for The White House and the Navy had no comment at the time of reporting.