US Navy SEAL pardoned by Trump described as ‘toxic’ and 'freaking evil' by comrades
A special operations soldier in the US Navy who was accused of war crimes and controversially pardoned by President Donald Trump has been described as "toxic" and "freaking evil" by fellow troops who fought with him in Iraq, according to US media reports.
In video footage of interviews obtained by The New York Times and published Friday, several US Navy SEALs speak to agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) about the conduct of retired Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher.
The footage was part of a trove of confidential Navy investigative materials that the newspaper obtained about the prosecution of Gallagher, who was accused of war crimes in Iraq.
They described how their chief seemed to love killing, how he targeted women and children and boasted that "burqas were flying."
"The guy is freaking evil," special operator first class Craig Miller, one of the most experienced members of Alpha Platoon's SEAL Team 7, tells NCIS agents.
Miller described Gallagher's crimes as some of the"the most disgraceful thing I've ever seen in my life."
Another platoon member, special operator first class Corey Scott, says: "You could tell he was perfectly okay with killing anybody that was moving."
"The guy was toxic," special operator first class Joshua Vriens adds.
The footage provides revealing insights of the men who worked with Gallagher and turned him in. They have never spoken publicly about the case, which has divided the elite fighting force known for its secrecy.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Gallagher denied the allegations, dismissing them as "blatant lies" and smears by platoon members who could not match his performance.
In July, a US military jury convicted 40-year-old Gallagher of illegally posing for pictures with the corpse of a Daesh (ISIS) detainee while deployed to Iraq in 2017 but acquitted him of murder in the prisoner’s death.
After his court-martial, Gallagher was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer.
Trump restored Gallagher's rank and has repeatedly tweeted support for him, saying his case had been "handled very badly from the beginning."
Gallagher, who was seeking to retire, was notified last month that a board of peers would determine if he should remain a SEAL.
Trump ordered the Navy to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL with his full rank intact. That led to the firing of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer over his handling of the matter.
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