On the recordNovember 21, 2019
before I start my remarks, I want to underscore how valuable the Department of Defense fellows program is to our individual offices. I can tell you firsthand that Captain Ng's presence in my office has given me capacity to deal with issues concerning appointments that I have or issues that are pending in Congress of a military nature. For those of us who have never served in the military service, having someone like Captain Ng in our office is incredibly important. I really want to underscore that and thank all of our Defense fellows for the services they are performing for our country. Mr. President, on May 22 of this year, I stood before this body and expressed my deep concerns about the media reports that President Trump was considering granting pardons to certain U.S. military personnel who had been convicted of committing war crimes in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Now 6 months later, President Trump has followed through with setting a very dangerous precedent, pardoning three military personnel of war crimes, two who were found guilty under the U.S. military's Uniform Code of Military Justice and one whose trial never concluded. President Trump's pardons significantly disrupt the foundations of our own institutions, particularly the U.S. military. First, President Trump's pardons cause confusion for our military servicemembers on what actions are acceptable on the battlefield--an already difficult task given the complexity of war.…





