CONDUCTED BY THE MILITARY TIMES SHOWS THAT HALF OF ACTIVE DUTY
MILITARY PERSONNEL NOW HOLD AN
UNFAVORABLE VIEW OF THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. WHILE THE PRESIDENT MAY NOT
ALWAYS SEE EYE TO EYE WITH HIS
MILITARY LEADERS OR EVEN MEMBERS
OF THE RANK AND FILE, A LOT OF
TIMES THOSE DISAGREEMENTS WERE
OVER HUGE POLICY ISSUES, MATTERS
OF WAR AND PEACE.
BUT THE STORY OF RETIRED NAVY
S.E.A.L. EDDIE GALLAGHER IS VERY
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. THIS IS CASE THAT THE PRESIDENT
HAS BEEN PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN
DESPITE THE WISHES OF MANY
CURRENTLY SERVING IN THE
MILITARY.
MILITARY. CHIEF GALLAGHER SERVED AS THE
PLATOON LEADER OF S.E.A.L. TEAM
7.
7. IT WAS DURING HIS FINAL
DEPLOYMENT TO MOSUL, IRAQ, IN
2017 HIS FELLOW S.E.A.L.s THEY
THEY WITNESSED BEHAVIOR THAT
CAUSED THEM TO SPEAK OUT.
AMONG OTHER THINGS THOSE
S.E.A.L.s ACCUSED GALLAGHER OF
STABBING A DEFENSELESS CAPTIVE
TO DEATH, OF PICKING OFF A
SCHOOL AGE GIRL AND OLD MAN FROM
FROM A SNIPER’S ROOM AND
INDISCRIMINANTLY SPRAYING
INDISCRIMINANTLY SPRAYING NEIGHBORHOODS WITH ROCKETS AND
MACHINE GUNFIRE.
MACHINE GUNFIRE. GALLAGHER EVENTUALLY STOOD TRIAL
ON CHARGES HE MURDERED THAT
CAPTIVE WHO WAS AN ISIS
PRISONER, BUT HE WAS LATER
ACQUITTED AFTER A STAR WITNESS
IN THE CASE CHANGED HIS
TESTIMONY, LATER CLAIMING THAT
HE HIMSELF HAD KILLED THE
PRISONER.
PRISONER. GALLAGHER WAS FOUND GUILTY ON A
SINGLE CHARGE FOR HAVING POSED
WITH A PHOTO WITH THE CORPSE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TAKEN
SPECIAL INTEREST IN THIS CASE
AFTER THE NAVY DEMOTED
GALLAGHER, THE PRESIDENT
REVERSED THE DEMOTION.
WHEN THE NAVY TRIED TO REMOVE
GALLAGHER FROM THE S.E.A.L.s THE
PRESIDENT ONCE AGAIN STEPPED IN
ORDERING THE PENTAGON TO STEP
DOWN.
DOWN. THE NAVY SECRETARY WAS LATER
FIRED FOR HIS HANDLING OF THE
CASE WHILE JUST LAST WEEKEND
GALLAGHER ON THE RIGHT WAS SEEN
MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT AT
MAR-A-LAGO.
MAR-A-LAGO. BUT TONIGHT THERE IS ANOTHER
DEVELOPMENT IN THIS CASE.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER
DAVID PHILIPS HAS EXCLUSIVELY
OBTAINED NAVY INTERVIEWS WITH
THE S.E.A.L. TEAM MEMBERS WHO
ACCUSED GALLAGHER OF MISCONDUCT
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
"THE TIMES" HAS PUBLISHED THOSE
INTERVIEWS WITH THE
INVESTIGATORS AND ITS TV SERIES,
THE WEEKLY, HAS NOW PUBLISHED
THE VIDEO.
THE VIDEO. WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SEE SHOWS
THEM SPEAKING ON CAMERA WITH
INVESTIGATORS ABOUT THEIR
PLATOON LEADER EDDY GALLAGHER.
AND A WARNING WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT
TO SEE AND HEAR IS DISTURBING.
>> IN THE SUMMER OF 2019 WE GET
LEAKED A TROVE OF NAVY MATERIALS
THAT INCLUDES THOUSANDS OF
DOCUMENTS, HELMET CAM FOOTAGE,
PHOTOS, TEXT MESSAGES AND ALL
THESE CONFIDENTIAL INTERVIEWS
WITH THE S.E.A.L.s, STUFF THAT
NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE.
>> I HEARD MORE RUMORS AND STUFF
LIKE THAT OF EDDIE LIKE
TARGETING CIVILIANS.
TARGETING CIVILIANS. >> I SAW EDDIE TAKE A SHOT AT
PROBABLY A 12-YEAR-OLD KID.
>> WHAT WAS HIS OFFICIAL
POSITION?
POSITION? >> HE WAS PLATOON CHIEF.
>> THIS MASSIVE LEAK GIVES US
INSIGHT INTO A VERY SECRETIVE
BROTHER HOOD OF COMMANDOS THAT
OTHERWISE WE WOULD NEVER GET TO
SEE.
SEE. >> THE GUY GOT CRAZIER AND
CRAZIER.
CRAZIER. >> YOU COULD TELL HE WAS
PERFECTLY OKAY WITH KILLING
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. >> I SEE EDDIE RUN OVER WITH A
KNIFE.
KNIFE. >> THIS IS CASE WHERE SOME
S.E.A.L.s WHO ARE NOT SUPPOSED
TO TAKE THINGS OUTSIDE THE
FAMILY TURNED IN THEIR OWN
CHIEF.
CHIEF. >> THE GUY WAS TOXIC.
>> THESE GUYS WHO BELIEVE IN
DOING GOOD AND HAD THE COURAGE
TO ACT, IT’S JUST THE THINGS
DIDN’T TURN OUT HOW THEY
THOUGHT.
THOUGHT. >> THERE WERE CIVILIANS
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. >> WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
>> HE’S A PSYCHOPATH.
>> THE GUY’S FREAKING EVIL, MAN.
>> GALLAGHER HAS LONG PROCLAIMED
HIS INNOCENCE.
HIS INNOCENCE. GALLAGHER’S LAWYER HAS ACCUSED
THOSE PLATOON MEMBERS OF HAVING
PERSONAL ANIMOSITY WITH HIS
CLIENT.
CLIENT. HE SAYS HE PLANS TO FILE A
LAWSUIT AGAINST THE WEEKLY AND
THE REPORTER BEHIND THAT STORY.
NBC NEWS HAS NOT SPOKEN WITH ANY
OF THE INDIVIDUAL S.E.A.L.s
SHOWN IN THOSE TAPED INTERVIEWS
BUT "THE NEW YORK TIMES" HAS
REACHED OUT TO THEM AND THEY ALL
DECLINE TO COMMENT.
JOINING US NOW DAVE PHILIPS,
NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT FOR "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" WHO’S BEEN DOING
GROUNDBREAKING REPORTING ON THE
STORY SINCE IT FIRST BROKE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. DAVE IS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
OF THE WEEKLY WHERE YOU CAN SEE
THOSE NEWLY PUBLISHED WITNESS
INTERVIEWS.
INTERVIEWS. DAVE, SO MUCH OF THIS STORY HAS
BEEN ABOUT EDDIE GALLAGHER BUT
ONE OF THE REMARKABLE THINGS YOU
SEE IN THOSE VIDEOS IS JUST HOW
MANY MEMBERS OF THIS S.E.A.L.
TEAM CAME FORWARD.
NOW GALLAGHER HAS BEEN
EXONERATED BY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR PEOPLE
LIKE THAT SERVING IN THE ARMED
FORCES OR IN THE SPECIAL
OPERATION UNITS?
OPERATION UNITS? >> WELL, I THINK THAT’S AN OPEN
QUESTION.
QUESTION. CERTAINLY A LOT OF THE S.E.A.L.s
WHO DID COME FORWARD AND TESTIFY
FEAR RETRIBUTION.
FEAR RETRIBUTION. SOME OF THEM ARE OUT OF THE NAVY
NOW, SOME OF THEM ARE NOT.
BUT CERTAINLY THERE’S BEEN
THREATS OF VIOLENCE AND OTHER
KINDS OF INTIMIDATION.
BUT I THINK YOUR EARLIER POINT
IS REALLY SOMETHING TO FOCUS ON.
WHAT THESE PLATOON MEMBERS
ACCUSE THEIR CHIEF OF IS VERY
SERIOUS AND VERY GRIM, AND IT’S
A TERRIBLE STORY.
BUT THIS IS ALSO A STORY OF A
NUMBER OF REMARKABLE YOUNG MEN
WHO HAD TO COME -- OVERCOME LIKE
PRETTY SERIOUS CULTURAL BARRIERS
AND OTHER OBSTACLES TO DO THE
RIGHT THING, AND THEY STUCK WITH
IT, AND THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO
STICK WITH IT.
>> THE INTERVIEWS PAINT A
STARTLINGLY CONSISTENT PICTURE
OF THE ALLEGED INAPPROPRIATE
BEHAVIOR BY EDDIE GALLAGHER
SEPARATE AND APART FROM THE
STABBING OF THAT PRISONER AT THE
CENTER OF THIS CASE.
THAT PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR, WHY
WASN’T THAT GIVEN -- WHY WASN’T
THAT SORT OF A BIGGER PART OF
THE CASE MADE AGAINST GALLAGHER
WHO WAS ULTIMATELY CONVICTED OF
TAKING A PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE
BODY OF THIS PRISONER?
>> THE STORY THAT THE S.E.A.L.s
TELL IS THAT WHEN THEY STARTED
WITNESSING THESE CRIMES THEY SAY
THEIR CHIEF WAS COMMITTING, THEY
IMMEDIATELY TURNED HIM IN.
THEY SAY FIRST THEY TURNED HIM
INTO THEIR LOW LEVEL PLATOON
COMMANDER, THEN THEY TRIED TO
TELL THEIR TROOP COMMANDER, AND
THEY WORKED THEIR WAY UP THE
CHAIN OF COMMAND AND NO ONE DID
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. AND SO BY THE TIME A REAL
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION STARTED,
IT WAS ALMOST A YEAR LATER, AND
A LOT OF THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
WAS GONE.
WAS GONE. IN FACT, WHEN THESE GUYS CAME
FORWARD THEY HAD NO IDEA THAT
LATER NAVY INVESTIGATORS WOULD
FIND PHOTOS OF THE DEAD VICTIM
WITH THE CHIEF POSING WITH HIM
ON THE CHIEF’S PHONE.
SO THEY GOT LUCKY, BUT THESE
GUYS CAME FORWARD NOT BECAUSE
THEY KNEW THERE WAS A SMOKING
GUN.
GUN. THEY JUST FELT THAT IT WAS A
NECESSARY AND RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> GALLAGHER’S LAWYER SAYS HE
PLANS TO SUE YOU PERSONALLY,
SAYING YOU LEFT OUT IMPORTANT
CONTEXT IN YOUR REPORTING.
ARE YOU CONFIDENT ABOUT WHAT YOU
INCLUDED IN YOUR STORY?
>> WE GO THROUGH A CAREFUL AND
COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AT "THE
NEW YORK TIMES," AND WE STANDBY
OUR REPORTING.
OUR REPORTING. >> I MENTIONED SOME NEW POLLING
THAT SHOWS DONALD TRUMP IS
LOSING SUPPORT WITH MEMBER OF
THE ARMED SERVICES.
AS SOMEONE WHO REPORTS ON THAT
AREA, GIVE ME A BIT MORE CONTEXT
INTO THIS BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP
SEEMS TO FEEL THAT HIS SUPPORT
OF AND CONSTANT TALK ABOUT
TROOPS SHOULD, YOU KNOW, PUT HIM
IN GOOD STEAD WITH THEM.
>> I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING TO REMEMBER WHEN TALKING
ABOUT THE ARMED FORCES IS THAT
IT IS FULL OF MILLIONS OF
INDIVIDUALS, AND SO YOU HAVE TO
MAKE A LOT OF DISTINCTIONS.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY DONALD TRUMP
STILL HAS A LOT OF APPROVAL
AMONGST THE DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE
MILITARY THAT HE DOES IN THE
VUVILLAIN WORLD.
VUVILLAIN WORLD. BUT YOU CAN SEE A SLIP AND THAT
IS BECAUSE THE MILITARY IS
CULTURALLY CONSERVATIVE
CULTURALLY CONSERVATIVE INSTITUTION.
INSTITUTION. IT LIKES TO PLAN, IT LIKES TO GO
BY REGULATIONS AND AS WE KNOW
THE PRESIDENT IS MUCH MORE OF A
WILD CARD, AND I THINK THEY SEE
THAT AS A REAL LIABILITY AT MANY
LEVELS.
LEVELS. >> THE PRESIDENT’S VIABILITY IN
THIS CASE HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF
GREAT CONTROVERSIAL AMONGST
PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY, MANY OF
THEM WHO SAY THERE’S A SYSTEM
AND THEY LIKE ORDER AND THE
PRESIDENT IS SORT OF INTERVENING
IN THIS THING IN THE MIDDLE OF
IT HAS THRONE THAT INTO
DISARRAY.
DISARRAY. >> LIKE I SAID THERE IS A RANGE
OF OPINIONS WITHIN THE MILITARY.
YOU WOULDN’T BE HARD-PRESSED TO
FIND S.E.A.L.s THAT WOULD SAY
OPENLY, HEY, EVEN IF HE DID KILL
THAT GUY I’M OKAY WITH THAT.
AND YOU CAN EASILY FIND SOME
THAT JUST FIND IT ABSOLUTELY
ABHORRENT, BUT THE GENERAL
CONSENSUS ESPECIALLY AMONGST THE
CHAIN OF COMMAND, THE OFFICERS,
THE PEOPLE WHO TRY TO GUIDE THIS
INSTITUTION, THE SENIOR PEOPLE,
THEY THINK THAT THEIR INABILITY
TO DISCIPLINE SOMEONE WHO THEY
SEE AS TOTALLY UNFIT TO SERVE IS