Caitlin BaldwinPresident Donald Trump is ordering the Navy to rescind medals given to prosecutors in the murder trial of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.
Gallagher was charged with murder and war crimes related to the death of a teenage ISIS prisoner. But during the trial, a key witness, whom prosecutors granted immunity, admitted to suffocating the prisoner.
On Wednesday, President Trump said he directed Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to withdraw the "ridiculously given" Navy Achievement medals awarded to the prosecution team.
The president tweeted, "Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion."
The four prosecuting attorneys and their support staff were awarded the medals last month for their "superb results" and "expert litigation," according to the military-focused website Task & Purpose.
Gallagher was acquitted of all but one charge and was found guilty of posing for pictures with the ISIS prisoner's corpse.
The commander-in-chief's order to pull achievement awards is rare, but an official told CNN Secretary Spencer is rescinding them.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
