President Trump announces the Navy will not be taking away Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin, just days after he restored his rank to chief petty officer.
The president made the announcement via twitter on Thursday saying, “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
Gallagher was notified on Wednesday a review board would be reevaluating whether Gallagher would keep his Trident Pin, which specifies his status as a Navy SEAL.
Just last week, President Trump restored Gallagher’s rank to chief from petty officer first class, highlighting a stark divide on the issue between the president and Navy officials.
The Navy SEAL was acquitted of war crimes earlier this year, but was ultimately found guilty of posing with a dead ISIS fighter while serving in Iraq in 2017.
Gallagher served four months in confinement and had his rank reduced after a San Diego jury convicted him in July.
Gallagher’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore weighed in on the potential removal of his Trident Pin during a Fox News interview saying the decision would be superfluous and only seek to humiliate.
Parlatore said, “So what he’s doing here is really just an effort to try and publicly humiliate Chief Gallagher and stick it right in the president’s eye.”
Gallagher’s lawyer continued saying, “His rank was taken away for something that… — nobody else in the history of the SEAL teams or the military has ever had general court martial conviction for a photo like this.”
Gallagher’s case is one of three the president intervened in last week; he also pardoned two servicemembers including Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn.