President Trump is hoping that three men he recently granted clemency to will join him on the campaign trail in 2020, The Daily Beast reports.
On Nov. 15, Trump cleared three servicemen who were accused or convicted of war crimes — Clint Lorance, Mathew Golsteyn, and Edward Gallagher. Two people with knowledge of the matter said Trump has been telling people close to him that he would love for the men to participate in his re-election campaign, either attending rallies or speaking at next summer's Republican convention.
In 2010, Lorance, a former army lieutenant, ordered soldiers to fire on three unarmed Afghan men riding a motorcycle; two died. He was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2013, and sentenced to 19 years in prison. Lorance was released from a military prison after Trump's pardon. Golsteyn, a former Green Beret major, was set to go on trial for the murder of an unarmed Afghan man, who was believed to be a Taliban bomb maker. He pleaded not guilty earlier this year.
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Gallagher, a Navy SEAL, was accused of murdering a teenage Islamic State fighter in 2017. He was acquitted this summer, but was found guilty of posing for a photo with the corpse. Gallagher was demoted in rank, but Trump reversed the decision. Several senior Pentagon officials opposed Trump's decision to grant clemency to the three men, The Daily Beast reports, and the Navy planned on having a review board decide whether Gallagher should lose his Trident pin.
Trump tweeted that this panel shouldn't convene, but Navy Secretary Richard Spencer disagreed. On Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that Spencer tried to set up a secret deal with White House officials, which would allow Gallagher to retire with his full rank and pension, and this led to Esper asking for Spencer's resignation. Several people told The Daily Beast Spencer holds the opposite position, and they don't think Esper's account is true.
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