It’s over!
Justice has finally won in the case of the Navy Seal, Eddie Gallagher, who was accused of stabbing to death a teenage ISIS member back in 2017.
President Trump had formerly said that he would consider pardoning Gallagher if convicted, sparking liberal outrage, and was responsible for getting Gallagher transferred out of the prison he was detained in for 9 months prior to May.
But it turns out that President Trump didn’t have to act at all.
The truth came out in the end, as the jury ruled in favor of an honorable soldier’s innocence, returning his freedom and very livelihood to him.
Check out the good news circulating on Twitter:
Gallagher was, of course, extremely relieved when the verdict was read out and the huge weight of potentially being charged as a convicted murderer despite serving nearly 20 years in the Navy defending America was finally lifted off of his shoulders.
He got to go home shortly after case ended, just in time to celebrate his own Independence Day before the national holiday in a few days!
Take a look at this heart-warming photo of Gallagher hugging his son post-trial:
Fox News has more details on the case and trial:
A jury found decorated Navy SEAL Edward "Eddie" Gallagher not guilty Tuesday on almost all charges he was facing, including murder and attempted murder, in the killing of a teenage Islamic State member in Iraq.
Gallagher was accused of stabbing to death a 15-year-old ISIS fighter in 2017 and posing with the corpse for photos.
As he awaited the charges to be read, Gallagher, 40, bounced lightly on his feet, appearing nervous, but dissolved into joyful tears once the verdict came through, tightly embracing his wife, Andrea, who has publicly championed him throughout the case as they both cried. Also seated in the gallery were Gallagher's attorneys, brother and parents, all of whom he exchanged hugs.
"I'm happy and I'm thankful," Gallagher told reporters after the verdict as he joked with his legal team that "it's Independence Day," his freedom coming days before the July 4th holiday.
"Suffice to say, huge victory, huge weight off the Gallaghers, huge victory for justice," Gallagher's attorney Marc Mukasey said adding that his client cried "tears of joy, emotion, freedom, absolute euphoria and proud of the process."
“I was feeling like we’re finally vindicated after being terrorized by the government that my husband fought for for 20 years,” Andrea Gallagher said. She also said she intends to "continue to fight for the war heroes of this country" and hopes to see Naval Special Warfare Group 1 Commodore Capt. Matthew D. Rosenbloom resign, among other things.
The Washington Examiner also said:
The jury assigned to the case of accused Special Warfare Chief Edward Gallagher has found the decorated Navy SEAL not guilty of murder and attempted murder after a whirlwind trial that included bombshell revelations and twists.
The verdict was reached by the five Marines and two sailors Tuesday after the prosecution and defense made their closing arguments the day before. The jury did find Gallagher guilty of unlawfully taking a picture with the corpse of the teenage ISIS fighter he was accused of killing.
"Our stance from the very beginning of this has been that Eddie needs to have a fair trial and we're going to stand behind him no matter what because he's our brother. And the courts have prevailed," Brad Bailey, president of the Navy SEALs Fund, told the Washington Examiner. "We understand that it's a very contentious accusation and one that deeply divided our community. And I hope that everyone can learn a lot from this on both sides and we can get back to taking care of business."
Gallagher, 40, was accused of stabbing an injured teenage ISIS fighter to death and shooting at civilians during a deployment to Iraq in 2017. Seven members of Gallagher's own platoon leveled the accusations against him, describing their chief as a reckless murderer who failed to distinguish between civilians and the enemy.
The accusers communicated through a WhatsApp group called "The Sewing Circle," a seemingly innocuous name for a group dedicated to discussing the alleged war crimes of a decorated sniper and medic. Those discussions would be the basis on which Navy prosecutors would bring charges against Gallagher.
The case received national attention after a searing New York Times report detailed the gory accusations, including stabbing an injured teenage ISIS fighter and shooting an elderly man and a young girl. The report claimed the accusers were told to keep quiet about Gallagher's actions or risk losing their tridents, the coveted badge identifying a sailor as a Navy SEAL.
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