Trump moves to rescind medals awarded to Eddie Gallagher prosecutors

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/31/politics/trump-rescinds-navy-prosecutors-medals/index.html

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered top Navy officials to rescind medals awarded to the prosecutors who unsuccessfully tried Navy SEAL team leader Eddie Gallagher for murder.

Trump, who has previously sided with Gallagher, slammed the prosecutors for "giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion" in the course of the case and for having "difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers." The President said the Navy lawyers had been "ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal."
"I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards," Trump tweeted.
The Secretary of the Navy is pulling the medals awarded to the Navy prosecution team, a Navy official told CNN. The official said it is within Spencer's authority to rescind the awards."

So the impulsive moron-in-chief strikes again. People in the military doing their job, and Dirty Donny punishes them for it. No due process. No analysis.

Thoughtless. Spiteful. Immature. Impulsive. That is the president today. Disgusting. Sad.

 

Thoughtless, spiteful, immature and impulsive, adjectives that could easily apply to the prosecutors. I think everyone understands how he feels

 

I'm sure SOME people understand how he feels, but those are not adjectives that are typically used for career prosecutors.

But I wonder what this will do for morale and discipline in the armed forces. Do your job and get criticised for it by the president. Do your job and have medals revoked summarily, without any review or due process.

 

I think most enlisted and even many officers will be ok with it

It needs to happen more often. It is rather ludicrous for a jag officer to get a medal just for trying a case especially if he loses.

The military has rightfully come under fire for being medal greedy handing them out like candy

The only problem here is that trump was selective he should have made it a general directive across the board to get the military to stop passing out medals left and right for bullshit

I suspect that this shows the navy is a little worse than others with this. I once spent several months working in a joint task force with the navy Seabees. During that time they worked along side us and in a warzone. I noticed that they had a ceremony once where they awarded one of their enlisted men a NAM which is the same award trump ordered rescinded

So their enlisted grunts can spend months sweating and working and coming under fire and ONE of them gets an award.

These officers spent some time in a court room and like all jag officers they got off duty everyday on time to hit the golf course and they all get medals

 

The libs' knee-jerk support for dirty cops and malicious prosecution of American heroes is on full display here....

Let me clue you in, knowing that their commander in chief has their back will improve morale and discipline of the military.

Prosecutors though will think twice before resorting to dirty tricks to obtain convictions at any cost.

 

This undermines the authority of those who recommended and approved these commendations.

I am not arguing that the commendations are deserved - just that his actions in revoking the medals is arbitrary, capricious and vindictive. The most he should have done is asked for a review - with due process for those involved.

 

I think he is demonstrating his willingness to punch down (way down the organization chart), to pander to his extremist right wing base, no matter what the consequences to morale, discipline or good management are.

He does not care what damage may be done as long as he gets his few hurrahs from the talk radio crowd.

It’s the same inpulse that caused him to send a hostage negotiator to Sweden to “negotiate” for a rapper who got in a fight.

Tabloid trash stuff. That’s the sewer Trump lives in.

 

Why were they awarded medals or citations in the first place given they failed to meet legal standards and the conclusion favors the defendant?

 

I had no idea the Navy passed out awards for failure.

 

Lol, you're moving the goalposts with every post of yours, now it's the authority of those who awarded the medals that keeps you up at night Jeez

No worries, their authority is fine, they awarded commendations when those prosecutors were good. When prosecutors turned bad and violated the code of conduct, the commendations got revoked, on the authority of the commander in chief.

 

actually he's 'living in the minds' of his haters/detractors... job well done!

it's a good thing that he brought all this attention to mistreatment/unfairness in the military tribunal system...

 

An American hero is vindicated and cleared of false charges, his persecutors (as opposed to prosecutors) are reprimanded, justice has been served.

The left's response: oh the horror, orange man bad. Lol, keep the RESISTANCE going

 

I don't know. It doesn't matter.

What matters is that the Navy's process was followed in order to recommend and approve those commendations. And then he countermanded that process and the result of the process impulsively. That undermines the process in the first place.

 

If the prosecutors had done anything that justified a reprimand, there will be a process (and due process) for that.

Trump doesn't know all the facts. He only knows what he learns by watching Hannity.

But this is easy for Trump. Bully those who can't fight back. He is a low-intelligence, impulsive coward.

 

The Commander in chief authority IS due process. Duh

 

You are making a wild speculation.

Are you truly impressed by officers that failed?

 

No it isn't. It is legal, but not due process.

 

It is not that Trump simply woke up and issued the order. They have an extensive review process from award to withdrawal.

 

What is my wild speculation?

 

That no review process was undertaken

 

Now you are the one who is wildly speculating. It is pretty clear that he is taking personal credit for withdrawing the medals outside of any review process.

 

Entire post works for me... especially the section in bold...

Man just doesn't care about optics as long as he gets to use his powers in an incorrect way...

 

If a prosecutor knowingly engages in malicious prosecution, and is actually awarded for such efforts, then the problem at hand is far more significant.

 

If that had happened, there should be a full review of the prosecutors and their entire chain of command all the way up.

But that isn't what Trump ordered. He targeted the people who were doing their job. Following orders.

 

The prosecutor who was awarded the commendation was ordered to engage in malicious prosecution?