GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter admits he took a photo with a dead combatant
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) defended a Navy SEAL accused of stabbing a teenage militant and then posing for a photo with the body, telling constituents during a town hall on Saturday that while serving in the Marines, he also took a picture next to a dead combatant.
Hunter declared that "a lot of us have done the exact same thing," The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Prosecutors allege that the Navy SEAL, Edward Gallagher, killed the teen Islamic State fighter in Iraq in 2017, and also shot two Iraqi civilians and fired into crowds of people. He has pleaded not guilty; his lawyers claim he was just a tough platoon leader and angry SEALs lied about the incident to get back at him.
President Trump has said he is considering pardoning service members accused of war crimes, and Hunter said he thinks Gallagher should be pardoned, claiming the military justice system is "corrupt." Hunter and his wife, Margaret, are both facing corruption charges, accused of misusing campaign funds. Hunter was asked about his case during the town hall, but he refused to comment.