WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will be “reviewing” the case of a former U.S. Army commando being charged with murder, raising questions about the possibility he could jeopardize the ongoing military legal proceedings.
Trump tweeted that “at the request of many” he will examine allegations that Mathew Golsteyn hunted down and killed a suspected bomb-maker in Afghanistan. The president tweeted that Golsteyn is a “U.S. Military hero” who could face the death penalty “from our own government.”
At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a “U.S. Military hero,” Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder. He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas. @PeteHegseth @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018
Any review or intervention by Trump could constitute unlawful command influence and could threaten the case against the former Green Beret.
In a statement Sunday, Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said that “the allegations against Major Matt Golsteyn are a law enforcement matter. The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate.”
Trump and other senior military and administration leaders have issued statements about military criminal cases in the past, triggering legal appeals and other complications as the courts work to insure impartial proceedings. The president, however, does have broad authority to pardon criminal defendants.
An Army statement on Friday said Golsteyn was charged with killing the Afghan during Golsteyn’s 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. Golsteyn was leading a team of Army Special Forces troops at the time, and believed that the bomb-maker was responsible for an explosion that killed two U.S. Marines.
The Golsteyn case has bounced around since 2011 when he told the CIA in a job interview that he’d shot and killed the man.
New standard: if the victim is or may be a bad guy, it’s ok to kill them. Trump gets to decide when he wants to step in and stop the judicial process for anyone.
More and more, Trump confirms that he really thought the powers of the President were unlimited.
And of course Trump is an expert on the Uniform Code of Military Justice, not to mention out legal system. . . . . Give me a break!
previously on ‘The Donald Trump Show’
I wonder if his new CoS will tell him when he’s sticking his fat, orange nose where it does not legally belong?
I am sure he promised to keep out of the Thug’s lane as part of the deal of taking the job.