The New York Times Politics Twitter account deleted a tweet on Thursday promoting a story about Eddie Gallagher, the former Navy SEAL charged with war crimes but granted clemency by President Donald Trump.
The original tweet called him “retired” and highlighted his “new apparel line called Salty Frog Gear, which is described as a ‘coastal lifestyle brand with an edge.’”
On Thursday, the Times account posted a new tweet linking to the article again, but added, “We have deleted an earlier tweet to this story that lacked context. Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of charges that he killed a wounded captive in Iraq, later received clemency from President Trump — information that’s provided in the article.”
The article, titled “From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame,” includes a description of the accusations leveled against Gallagher by other SEALs. In video interviews with investigators obtained by the Times, some of the soldiers broke down in tears while describing their team leader as “evil” and “toxic.” They accused Gallagher of shooting at civilians and killing a wounded captive with a knife. One medic said Gallagher “wants to kill anybody he can.”
Gallagher denied the charges and was acquitted of charges he shot at civilians and killed the wounded captive. He was convicted for posing with the dead captive’s body and confined, but Trump granted him clemency and praised him repeatedly, calling him “one of the ultimate fighters.”
Since his release, Gallagher has rebranded himself as a “conservative influencer,” to borrow the Times’ phrasing, by releasing the lifestyle clothing brand and doing endorsements.
On the Instagram account he and his wife use to promote the business ventures, Gallagher attacked Times reporter David Philipps, who wrote about his new turn as an influencer, as well as the response from other SEALs to his clemency grant. Gallagher branded the reporter “fake news.”