Alpine Rep. Duncan Hunter Admits To Taking A Photo With A Dead Combatant | Greg Moran, Andrew Dyer

At a forum in Ramona on Saturday, Rep. Duncan Hunter also addressed the pending court martial case against San Diego-based Navy SEAL chief Edward Gallagher and Army Capt. Mathew L. Golsteyn. Both are charged with committing war crimes during their service — Gallagher in Iraq and Golsteyn in Afghanistan. Gallagher is charged with several crimes including killing a teenage Islamic State fighter who was brought to his unit for medical treatment. He’s accused of stabbing the fighter in the neck. Prosecutors also said he texted a photograph of himself next to the dead fighter and wrote he “got him with my hunting knife.” As he recounted the allegation of Gallagher posing next to a dead body for a photograph, Hunter, also a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said “a lot of us have done the exact same thing.” He said he, too, had a photo taken of himself next to a dead combatant, but said he did not text it or post to social media. Hunter called the military justice system “corrupt,” run by lawyers and bureaucrats intent on pursuing “war fighters.” He said he would support a pardon of the two men from Trump, who has indicated he was considering doing so. Hunter also said the civilian justice system was as bad as the military, saying ambitious prosecutors were simply out to get “wins” under their belts.