Pete Buttigieg Says Trump “Dishonored Our Armed Services” With Pardons Of U.S. Soldiers

Buttigieg's comments follow President Trump's decision to grant clemency to 2 U.S. soldiers convicted of war crimes and to restore the rank of a Navy Seal who had been found not guilty back in June, in spite of opposition.

Here's more from Politico via MSN:

  Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Saturday tore into President Donald Trump for pardoning two Army officers who were accused or found guilty of war crimes. 

“There’s nothing pro-military about overruling our military justice system to prevent it from delivering accountability for war crimes,” Buttigieg tweeted. “The president has again dishonored our armed services.” 

The comments from the South Bend, Ind., mayor who served in Afghanistan came after Trump granted clemency to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Matthew Golsteyn despite lingering concerns the pardons could undermine the military justice system. The president also restored Navy SEAL Ed Gallagher’s rank to chief petty officer.                                                                                 The White House said in a statement released Friday the military justice system “helps ensure good order and discipline,” but Trump had the “authority to offer second chances” to soldiers.

The soldiers who were pardoned by President Trump told a much different story than Mayor Pete.

Fox News had the following to say about the Major Golsteyn's reaction to the presidential pardon he was granted:

On Friday the White House released a statement issuing the Full Pardon: "Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) for Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) for Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and an order directing the promotion of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward R. Gallagher to the grade of E-7, the rank he held before he was tried and found not guilty of nearly all of the charges against him."

Golsteyn said the president was "just incredibly sanguine and warm and demonstrated an amazing degree of knowledge about the case and what had been going on."

He said that while receiving a call from the president was "was an incredible honor," he was "also quite funny."

Golsteyn's wife Julie chimed in that the president was compassionate.

"To have the ability to look forward to even just the holidays, let alone the remainder of our lives and our children's' lives, I can't explain the burden that's been lifted," she said.

"Because we have dealt with nefarious people for too long and to have someone have the moral courage to step up and give us our life back -- and that's another thing the president said is to give you your life back -- that's exactly what he did," she added.

"I think it sends a clear signal that the President of the United States is paying attention," Maj. Golsteyn told Hegseth. "That he's not going to be backed off by institutional elements of the DOD that are going to try to retain their ability to do certain things and force outcomes and weaponize the military justice process and then hide behind process.""It's just incredible to have somebody step up and be a leader," said Julie.

"How do you say thank you to someone who gave you your life back? Thank you seems incredibly insignificant, but thank you," he said.

Lt. Lorance - who served 6 years of a 19-year sentence before being pardoned by President Trump - was perhaps even more greatful!

Here's what he had to say, from Daily Mail:

This is the moment an Army officer pardoned by President Donald Trump reunited with his family after six years behind bars.

Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, 34, embraced his beaming family members as he walked out of Leavenworth military prison in Kansas in full dress uniform on Friday night, hours after his pardon.

Lorance was convicted of second-degree murder for ordering soldiers under his command to open fire on three unarmed Afghan men on motorcycles, including two who died, in 2012. He and his supporters maintain that they were enemy combatants.

He had served more than six years of a 19-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth.

Video shows the moment that Lorance stepped out of an SUV that transported him from the notorious maximum-security military prison, as his family members screamed with joy, hugged him and wiped away tears.

'It feels great,' Lorance said. 'I want to say thank you President Trump. And I'd like to ask the rest of the country to help me do that too, to tell President Trump thank you.'

As his sister, nieces and other family struggled to compose themselves, Lorance asked: 'I hear y'all have some pizza around here somewhere?'

'We do have pizza!' a female family members replied, as they all burst into laughter. 

Lorance then entered the hotel where a reception had been set up to greet him, and delivered brief remarks, saying that he had spoken on the phone with Trump just prior to his release.

'He sounds just like he sounds on TV, on the phone. He's actually pretty funny too when you talk to him on the phone,' Lorance said.

Lorance thanked all of his supporters, who had corresponded with him behind bars and petitioned for his release.

'I just wanted to join the Army, and go be a soldier. I didn't realize all this was gonna happen, it's kind of overwhelming for a country boy from the middle of nowhere,' he said.

On Saturday morning, Lorance changed his Facebook cover photo to a banner supporting Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. 

And, here's the video of Lt. Lorance reuniting with his family:

What do you think?

Did President Trump make the right call?