[San Diego Union-Tribune] Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, recently stepped up his advocacy for a Navy SEAL on trial for war crimes, including contacting military leaders with administrative and supervisory roles in the trial.
Wednesday Hunter also sent a letter to President Donald Trump, calling on him to remove from the Navy’s hands the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward R. Gallagher, who is accused of stabbing to death a teen-age Iraqi combatant. Co-signing the letter was Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, a Republican who represents the western panhandle region of that state.
The letter alleges political bias against Gallagher and repeats other claims about his confinement and access to attorneys, claims the Navy has disputed.
The White House has not commented on the request.
Gallagher, a chief special warfare operator based in San Diego, was charged with several war crimes from a 2017 deployment to Mosul, Iraq.
Navy investigators say Gallagher killed a wounded teenage ISIS fighter brought to him for medical treatment. He also faces aggravated assault charges for allegedly shooting an elderly man and a little girl, and charges related to allegedly shooting indiscriminately at civilians during deployment.
Gallagher has denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty. 
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