Military leaders are reportedly nervous Trump will intervene in war crimes cases

Trump and Military Leaders.
(Image credit: Shealah Craighead/The White House via Getty Images)

President Trump has the power to pardon U.S. service members accused of war crimes, but Pentagon officials and military leaders really hope he doesn't wield it, CNN reports.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper is reportedly expected to discuss multiple war crime cases with President Trump before Veterans Day on Nov. 11 in an attempt to get Trump to understand the severity of the allegations being waged against U.S. soldiers. Trump has reportedly ordered a review of charges against two members of the Army and is also considering restoring the rank of a former Navy SEAL who posed for a picture with a dead ISIS prisoner.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.