Retired Navy SEAL strikes back at SEALs who testified against him

San Diego — A retired Navy SEAL whose war crimes trial made international news has launched a video attack on former SEAL teammates who accused him of murder and shooting civilians, and who testified against him at his San Diego court-martial in June.

In a three-minute video posted to his Facebook page and Instagram account Monday, retired Chief Special Operator Edward Gallagher, 40, referred to some members of his former platoon as “cowards” and highlighted names, photos and — for those still on active duty — their duty status and current units, something former SEALs say places those men — and the Navy’s mission — in jeopardy.

Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded Islamic State fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted of most charges, but was convicted of posing for a photo with an Islamic State fighter’s corpse, a crime for which the jury reduced his rank.

The case and its fallout received extensive media coverage, especially among conservative outlets such as Fox News, where network personalities lobbied President Donald Trump on-air for months to intervene on Gallagher’s behalf.

Trump intervened in the case several times, including ordering Gallagher released from confinement before trial and restoring the SEAL’s rank post-conviction.