Trump issues pardons for 3 service members accused of war crimes

Claims supported by this source

1. factdocumented

   Donald Trump directed the Navy to stop administrative processing of Edward Gallagher and restore Gallagher's rank after his court-martial; the action did not erase Gallagher's conviction for posing with a dead detainee.

   Independent report distinguishing Gallagher's rank action from the Lorance and Golsteyn pardons

   Trump directed the Navy to stop Gallagher's processing and restore his rank · Rank restored; underlying conviction not pardoned · reviewed 2026-09-03

2. factdocumented

   Donald Trump granted Clint Lorance a full and unconditional pardon on November 15, 2019 for his Army court-martial convictions under UCMJ Articles 80, 118, and 134.

   Independent contemporaneous report distinguishing Lorance's pardon and release from the other military interventions

   Trump granted Clint Lorance a full and unconditional pardon · Full and unconditional pardon granted · reviewed 2026-09-03

3. factdocumented

   Donald Trump granted Mathew Golsteyn a full and unconditional pardon on November 15, 2019 for the UCMJ Article 118 offense that had been referred to an Army general court-martial, ending the pending prosecution before trial without an adjudication of guilt.

   Independent contemporaneous report distinguishing Golsteyn's pretrial pardon from Gallagher's rank restoration

   Trump pardoned Mathew Golsteyn before his military trial · Full and unconditional pretrial pardon granted · reviewed 2026-09-03

4. factreported

   On December 13, 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union published an assessment arguing that Donald Trump's full pardons for Clint Lorance and Mathew Golsteyn and his rank intervention for Edward Gallagher weakened military justice accountability; it cited opposition from former military leaders and veterans, while the contemporaneous record distinguishes Lorance's conviction, Golsteyn's untried charge, and Gallagher's mixed verdict.

   Contemporaneous factual distinctions among the two pardons and Gallagher rank action

   ACLU linked Trump's three military interventions to weakened command accountability · Published civil-liberties assessment · reviewed 2026-09-03