Trump has expressed an interest in pardoning service members accused of crimes, especially after the cases have been discussed on television, one former senior administration official said. In May, Trump pardoned former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, who was convicted in the 2008 murder of an Iraqi prisoner suspected member of al-Qaeda. The discussion was renewed on Nov. 4 when Fox News personality Pete Hegseth announced that Trump was interested in taking action in the cases by Veterans Day. The Pentagon chief acknowledged last week that he had discussed the issue with Trump but declined to say whether he supports exonerating the service members involved. “What Trump is doing is the opposite of due process — it’s tyrannical.”Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.

Source: Washington Post November 12, 2019 23:43 UTC