Trump reportedly wants servicemen he pardoned to campaign for him in 2020


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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Exurbs: America's biggest housing trend you haven't heard of
Under the Radar Northeastern exurbs were the nation's biggest housing markets in 2024
-
How to enjoy a coolcation in Sweden
The Week Recommends You won't break a sweat on Lake Asnen or underground at the Adventure Mine
-
Sudoku medium: May 8, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábrego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies