Trump Brings 2 Officers He Cleared of War Crimes Onstage at Fund-Raiser

The president had pardoned Army First Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew Golsteyn last month, in a move that strained his relationship with Pentagon leaders.

By Maggie Haberman
Dec. 8, 2019

President Trump brought two soldiers he had pardoned in cases involving war crimes onstage at a fund-raiser this weekend in Florida, tightening his embrace of an episode that roiled his relationship with military leaders and prompted a public outcry.

Mr. Trump, as the featured speaker, invited up Army First Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn, according to a report in The Miami Herald that was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the event.

The fund-raiser, which was held Saturday at the J.W. Marriott Turnberry Resort and Spa in Aventura and benefited the Republican Party of Florida, was closed to reporters. A Republican official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the event, said that the officers were guests of an attendee and that they had not been part of the program. Mr. Trump appears to have called them up upon learning they were there.

Major Golsteyn was awaiting trial at the time of his pardon, charged with a single count of premeditated murder for the 2010 killing of a Taliban bomb-making suspect. He had admitted he killed the man in interviews with reporters, but said it was justified because he believed the man was returning to the Taliban after being released from questioning.

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