>>> AND JUST THIS WEEK, I STUCK UP FOR THREE GREAT WARRIORS
AGAINST THE DEEP STATE.
I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE SAY SIR, I
DON’T THINK YOU SHOULD DO THAT.
PEOPLE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT.
THESE ARE GREAT WARRIORS.
WE’RE GOING TAKE CARE OF OUR
WARRIORS.
WARRIORS. AND I WILL ALWAYS STICK UP FOR
OUR GREAT FIGHTERS.
PEOPLE CAN SIT THERE IN AIR
CONDITIONED OFFICES AND
COMPLAIN, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT DOESN’T MATTER TO ME
WHATSOEVER.
WHATSOEVER. >> THAT WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP LAST
WEEK IN FLORIDA, PRAISING
HIMSELF FOR INTERVENING IN THE
CASE OF NAVY S.E.A.L. EDDIE
GALLAGHER
GALLAGHER GALLAGHER.
GALLAGHER. A REPORT BY "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
TODAY REVEALS NEW AND GORY
ALLEGATIONS OF GALLAGHER’S
ACTIONS DURING HIS DEPLOYMENT IN
IRAQ AND EARLIER AS WELL,
INCLUDING TIMES WHEN GALLAGHER
APPEARS TO RELISH VIOLENCE.
GALLAGHER DENIES ALL THE
ALLEGATIONS OF WAR CRIMES AND
WAS JUST ACQUITTED BY A MILITARY
JURY OF ALL BUT ONE CHARGE
AGAINST HIM.
AGAINST HIM. JOINING ME NOW, ONE OF THE
REPORTERS ON THAT PIECE, "NEW
YORK TIMES" PENTAGON
CORRESPONDENT AND MSNBC
CONTRIBUTOR HELENE COOPER.
HELENE, IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
YOU. I JUST WANT TO PUT UP ON OUR
SCREEN A FEW OF THE ALLEGATIONS,
THE STORIES THAT YOU UNCOVERED
ABOUT EDWARD GALLAGHER IN THE
COURSE OF REPORTING THAT ARE IN
THIS ARTICLE.
THIS ARTICLE. HE SAYS "WE DON’T CARE ABOUT
LIVING CONDITIONS.
LIVING CONDITIONS. WE JUST WANT TO KILL AS MANY
PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE."
THIS WAS SURROUNDING HIM TRYING
TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE
WERE FIGHTING.
WERE FIGHTING. "I’LL TRY AND DIG THAT KNIFE OR
HATCHET ON SOMEONE’S SKULL."
THIS I BELIEVE IS A TEXT MESSAGE
TO A FRIEND.
"NO ONE TOUCHED HIM," HE RADIOED
OTHER S.E.A.L.s.
OTHER S.E.A.L.s. "HE IS MINE".
THIS IS WHEN THEY WERE ABLE TO
CAPTURE ONE OF THE ISIS
FIGHTERS.
FIGHTERS. "STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.
THEY DO A LOT WORSE TO US" ONCE
SOME OF HIS UNDERLINGS
QUESTIONED HIS TACTICS.
"GOT HIM WITH MY HUNTING KNIFE."
THIS IN REGARDS TO THE PHOTO OF
HIM POSING WITH THE DEAD
TEENAGER, THE DEAD ISIS CAPTIVE.
THESE ARE SOME REALLY GOER
DETAILS, HELENE.
DETAILS, HELENE. THERE ARE SOME REALLY DISTURBING
DETAILS ABOUT HIS BEHAVIOR.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
HOW EDDIE GALLAGHER WAS
DESCRIBED BY HIS PIERCE?
>> WELL, I THINK -- I MEAN ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO
REMEMBER THAT IT WAS EDDIE
GALLAGHER’S OWN PEERS, IT WAS
FELLOW S.E.A.L.s WHO TURNED HIM
TO BEGIN WITH, AND HE WAS, AS
YOU SAID, HE WAS ACQUITTED ON
ALL OF THE MURDER CHARGE AND THE
ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE AND
EVERYTHING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
CONDUCT UNBECOMING FOR POSING
WITH THAT PHOTO OF -- THAT PHOTO
WITH THE TEENAGER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, HE TOOK HIS OWN
HUNTING KNIFE WITH HIM TO IRAQ.
AND BY THE ACCOUNTS OF HIS
FELLOW PLATOON MEMBERS AND OTHER
S.E.A.L.s, HE REALLY WANTED TO
GET SOME ACTION.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY’RE
DESCRIBING A MAN WHO WAS OUT
THERE FOR NOTHING MORE THAN
BLOOD.
BLOOD. >> WELL, YOU CAN LISTEN TO
WHAT -- YOU CAN LISTEN TO WHAT
HIS FELLOW S.E.A.L.s SAID, BUT
WE DO HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT HE
WAS -- HE WAS ACQUITTED.
BUT THE NAVY, THE CASE AGAINST
HIM WAS PRETTY CONVOLUTED TO
START.
START. YOU HAD WITNESSES WHO ENDED UP
CHANGING THEIR TESTIMONY ON THE
STAND, AND IN THE END, THE NAVY
ENDED UP WITH ONLY ONE CHARGE
STICKING.
STICKING. >> THE PRESIDENT GOT INVOLVED IN
THIS.
THIS. >> YES.
>> YES. >> AND HE INTERVENED ON TWITTER.
HE INTERVENED WITH SOME OF THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE PENTAGON.
HOW DOES THE PRESIDENT’S
INTERVENTION PLAY AT THE
PENTAGON?
PENTAGON? AND WHAT DOES IT DO TO THE CHAIN
OF COMMAND?
OF COMMAND? >> KATY, IT’S SUCH AN
INTERESTING QUESTION, BECAUSE
YOU’VE GOT TO REMEMBER FIRST
THAT WHEN TRUMP CAME INTO
OFFICE, THE PENTAGON WAS PRETTY
HAPPY ABOUT IT.
THIS IS KIND OF A CONSTITUENCY
THAT LEANS TO THE RIGHT ANYWAY
AND IS RIGHT IN HIS WHEEL HOUSE.
AND HE SAID HE CAME INTO OFFICE
THE FIRST YEAR AS PRESIDENT,
LOOSENING UP A LOT OF THE
CONTROLS, THE STRICT CONTROLS
THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD ON
GENERALS OUT IN THE FIELD.
HE ALSO PUT MORE MONEY INTO THE
MILITARY.
MILITARY. SO THE PENTAGON SAW A LOT OF
THEIR BUDGET -- THEY SAW THEIR
BUDGET INCREASE.
BUDGET INCREASE. SO PEOPLE WERE HAPPY AT FIRST.
THAT’S REALLY TURNED IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IN
PARTICULAR, THE LAST YEAR.
THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
NOT JUST THE EDDIE GALLAGHER AND
THE PARDONING OF THOSE THREE --
THOSE THREE PEOPLE THAT HE DID A
WEEK AND A HALF AGO, WHICH
REALLY HAS REALLY ALIENATED A
LOT OF THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP AT
THE PENTAGON, BUT IN ADDITION TO
THAT, PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DECISION
TO ABANDON THE KURDS IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST ISIS TWO MONTHS
AGO WHEN HE PULLED AMERICAN
TROOPS OUT FROM NORTHERN SYRIA
REALLY, REALLY UPSET A LOT OF
THE SAME WARRIORS THAT HE’S
TALKING UP NOW, THAT HE IS