The people around Donald Trump tend to go for the gold, as in money, and they often get caught for everything from cutting corners to outright criminal activity. Just recently, POTUS plucked a former Navy SEAL petty officer out of a military prison and placed him at his right hand during 2020 presidential campaign rallies. What made people gasp was that the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was facing life in prison for committing a war crime.
Instead, Gallagher has been hawking his own clothing brand, modeling those lifestyle garments, and “endorsing nutritional supplements,” according to The New York Times.
More than one SEAL in his platoon described him as “evil” and “toxic.” His platoon medic Corey Scott told service investigators:
‘I think he just wants to kill anybody he can.’
The petty officer was charged with shooting “at civilians and killed a wounded captive with a knife while serving as a platoon leader in Iraq.” Then, he posed for a “trophy photo” with the dead prisoner, much like his son Donald Trump, Jr. posed with the endangered sheep and a lion he shot.
Gallagher ended up being charged with a war crime, posing for the “grisly trophy photo.”
All of a sudden, Donald Trump Sr.. dropped out of the sky this fall and reversed the charge and reinstated him to his former rank. The president fawned over the “square-jawed, blue-eyed” SEAL at his political rallies calling him “one of the ultimate fighters.” That was inaccurate.
Gallagher has become a Republican celebrity and wasted no time taking full advantage of this opportunity to start lending his name to everything from coffee beans to one of his Salty Frog Geal tailgate hoodies for men. He was recently seen at Mar-a-Lago.
The host of The Angry American podcast and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paul Rieckhoff, criticized him as “a perfect fit:”
“Trump is a master of casting, and Gallagher is a perfect fit. He’s handsome, he’s heroic, he’s got a beautiful wife. He’s a Rambo version of the same story Trump has been telling over and over: The deep state is trying to screw you, the media is bad, and the rich people don’t understand you. But I’ll stick up for you.’
Rieckhoff noted this about the SEAL:
‘[H]e can cash in on book deals, speaking engagements and other business opportunities.’
Trump has weaponized Gallagher to use among conservatives. The SEAL has regularly appeared on Fox News. However, the petty officer’s attorney Timothy Parlatore said the SEAL would not give The New York Times an interview. Gallagher has also blocked The Times reporter who has been covering him on Instagram — twice:
‘Chief Gallagher is happy to respond to inquiries by legitimate journalists looking to publish factual pieces, but has no time for propagandists who put out knowingly false statements masquerading as fact.’
Making a mockery of his fellow service members, he endorsed products with “macabre names” like Double Tap and Total War. His t-shirts show the logo KILL BAD DUDES, and he even endorsed a shirt reading Waterboarding Instructor:
‘[H]e was investigated for shooting a small girl while targeting a suspected Taliban member in Afghanistan in 2010, and was arrested and accused of assaulting a Navy police officer in 2014. In both cases, no criminal charges were filed…made bizarre and dangerous tactical decisions, seemed to not know how to do his job and killed people with little regard to the rules of engagement.’
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
