Trump intervened to move Gallagher to less restrictive confinement before the trial began, and reversed Gallagher’s demotion and restored his rank after the verdict was delivered, Spencer wrote. Spencer said he objected to Trump’s involvement but was overridden. He did so without consulting Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, Spencer wrote, which ultimately led Esper to ask for Spencer’s resignation. “That was, I see in retrospect, a mistake for which I am solely responsible,” Spencer wrote. In the piece, Spencer defended the “system of military justice.”“Americans need to know that 99.9 percent of our uniformed members always have, always are and always will make the right decision,” he wrote.

Source: Washington Post November 28, 2019 18:18 UTC