Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher's defense lawyers: Officers partied with enlisted men at Iraq base rooftop bar
Defense lawyers for Navy SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher, who stands accused of murder, have set about trying to "annihilate the government's case," suggesting some witnesses were confused after partying and drinking alcohol in a makeshift rooftop bar at their Iraq base. The existence of the bar was revealed on Tuesday during questioning of Navy Lt. Thomas MacNeill, Gallagher's former platoon second-in-command. "Were you drinking with the enlisted in Iraq?" defense lawyer Timothy Parlatore asked. Prosecutors objected to the question and the jury was briefly removed from the courtroom before the judge ruled it was allowed. MacNeill admitted he was "close" with everyone in his platoon, and "drank with most, if not all, of the enlisted SEALs on the roof" where he "played DJ."
"The defense plan for the next days and weeks is to annihilate the government's case, to show that these witnesses are lying to show that these charges … should never have been brought, and to show that Eddie Gallagher is not guilty," Parlatore told reporters before the trial started on Tuesday. At the center of the case is the Navy's allegation that Gallagher stabbed an injured teenage ISIS fighter to death at a base outside Mosul. They say the decorated combat veteran then proceeded to take a picture with the corpse, which he texted to fellow SEALs writing, "Good story behind this one. Got him with my hunting knife." "There is little to no forensic evidence in this case," said Parlatore in his opening remarks on Tuesday. Instead, the prosecution is expected to rely on the testimony of fellow SEALs who witnessed Gallagher's alleged war crimes, which also include the shooting of an elderly man and a young girl.
Gallagher's behavior was so disturbing that other snipers began to fire warning shots "to protect civilians from their own chief," according to Navy prosecutor Lt. Brian John. Former SEAL Dylan Dille, one of Gallagher's accusers, testified that he saw the ISIS prisoner alive with Gallagher after he was brought to the base. Dille then left the area to retrieve equipment and came back to find the prisoner dead. He noted the fighter appeared to be about 12 years old. On cross examination, Parlatore asked Dille why he initially told Naval Criminal Investigative Services the fighter appeared to be 12 to 15, yet testified Wednesday that he was 12.
Parlatore has maintained Gallagher's innocence since he was first charged, claiming he is the victim of an overzealous prosecution team and disgruntled subordinates. "[T]his is not a murder, this a mutiny, this is a group of young disgruntled sailors that didn't like being told that they were cowards, and so they decided to conspire to take down the chief," Parlatore told reporters. One of the SEAL witnesses testified a group of SEALs communicated about the case through an encrypted app. Gallagher's case has received national attention since reports President Trump was considering him for a pardon. Additionally, the prosecution was found to have embedded an email tracking software within emails while corresponding with the defense and a reporter. The trial is expected to last three weeks.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/navy-seal-eddie-gallaghers-defense-lawyers-officers-partied-with-enlisted-men-at-iraq-base-rooftop-bar