WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Army is refusing to reinstate the elite status of a soldier who received clemency from President Trump after being accused of murder.
Green Beret Major Matt Golsteyn admitted to killing a Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan in 2010. He was charged when he confessed to the killing during a polygraph test for a job with the CIA.
Trump dismissed the charges against him in November. The President called Golsteyn a hero, pardoned him and had his court-martial cancelled.
In December, the Army denied the retired Golsteyn's request to be reinstated into special forces. The Pentagon's top general addressed lawmakers who criticize the clemencies granted to Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, Army 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance and Army Major Mathew Golsteyn.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said good order and discipline are being preserved and under no circumstances will the military be reduced to violent pillages overseas.
Shortly after the clemencies were granted, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer was forced to resign.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Trump, Spencer said the rule of law is what sets us apart from our adversaries, and when it comes to good order and discipline, he no longer shared the same views as the Commander in Chief.