Family of Navy SEAL chief accused of multiple war crimes say he should be 'rewarded for doing his job'
The family of a Navy SEAL accused of several war crimes, including murder, took a defiant stance at a recent fundraising event in San Diego, insisting they were going to fight the charges levied against him.
The event, which was held for raising money to cover the legal expenses of Navy SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher, drew a sold-out crowd at the Twisted Taps in University Heights, San Diego on Friday, April 26, and saw his brother and wife, as well as New York's 9/11 police commissioner Bernard Kerik, speak in support.
According to Fox 43, Gallagher is currently awaiting trial in San Diego over accusations that he committed several war crimes during his 20 years of service in the armed forces. These include allegations that he shot at civilians, stabbed a detained and wounded ISIS fighter to death, obstructed justice, and posed and performed his re-enlistment ceremony next to a dead body.
More recently, it emerged that the SEAL Chief was also at the center of another investigation looking into the shooting death of a goat herder in Afghanistan in 2010. He has denied all the allegations, and his family is in agreement with his stance.
"They have a job to do. Let them do their damn job," Kerik said at the fundraising event. "Let them go and kill the enemy and leave them alone. Reward them for doing their job."
His wife Andrea Gallagher similarly rubbished the charges against her husband. "The allegations have no evidence on most of these charges, or the evidence is exculpatory," she said. "It’s the exact opposite of what’s been put out in these narratives. So you’re building a case on cobbled up lies, fabrications, and rumors."
Gallagher's family has repeatedly criticized the Naval Investigative Service for their treatment of Gallagher and have alleged that he has been treated unfairly during his confinement.
Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs Officer Tamara Lawrence denied the accusations in an email to Fox 43, insisting that "the terms of his pretrial restriction are reasonable and appropriate" and that "he has full access to his legal team and medical care, and the ability to communicate with and receive visits from his family."
Andrea thanked all those who have stood by her husband through these difficult times. "I think Eddie would just love to say that he fought for you for 20 years and he wouldn’t change a thing about it," she said. "He’s lived an honorable life as a Navy SEAL, as a service member, as a husband and a father. He has nothing to be ashamed of."
The mutinous atmosphere was best summed up by Sean Gallagher, the chief's younger brother, who announced to the raucous crowd, "They f***ed with the wrong family, and we’re going to fight this. We’re going to fight this every step of the way."