GOP Reps Want Marine Who Criticized Afghan Withdrawal Freed From Jail

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and 26 of his Republican House colleagues have written a letter to the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, asking that Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller be released from pre-trial confinement.

Scheller, who gained notoriety from a series of viral videos demanding accountability from military leadership for the disastrous withdrawal in Afghanistan, has been jailed for the incidents.

Notable signatories of the letter include Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-SC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). 

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What The Letter Says

In the letter to Gen. Berger, Gohmert and his fellow GOP House members outline the Rule For Court Martial, which states that Scheller’s commander must provide just cause to hold him – reasons that they believe Scheller will jump bail or engage in serious crimes. 

The signatories argue that Scheller’s jailing is political: 

In fact, this confinement appears to be simply for messaging, retribution, and convenience in flagrant violation of R.C.M. 305(h)(2)(B) “a person should not be confined as a mere matter of convenience.” Furthermore, R.C.M. 305(h)(2)(B) also states that LTC Scheller should be accommodated in the “less serious forms of restraint.” For the above reasons, we urge you to use your considerable authority to correct this misapplication of law and immediately remove LTC Scheller from his confinement.

The House members mention Scheller’s exemplary service record of over 15 years, and their belief that there is no evidence that he “poses a grave risk of criminal misconduct.”

There is also an interesting mention that the offices of several members of Congress tried to email counsel for the government, Troy Campbell, but have gotten no response.

The letter concludes, “It is imperative that members of Congress be afforded an opportunity to conduct their oversight duties with respect to military justice.”

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Who Is Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller?

Last month, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller posted a video that went viral, criticizing military leaders for the bungled withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. In the video, he also demanded some accountability from those leaders for the withdrawal chaos that led to 13 American servicemen being killed in a terrorist attack.

Following the posting of the video, he was relieved of his command. Scheller continued to post videos, one in which he stated that he was under a gag order not to speak on social media.

Currently, he is being held in the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East at Camp Lejeune. 

RELATED: Report: Milley Blamed Biden State Department For Afghanistan Withdrawal

Scheller’s Parents Fighting For Their Son

Scheller’s parents, Cathy and Stuart Sr., have done several interviews speaking out and making their son’s case known.

During an appearance on the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” the Schellers told host Laura Ingraham that the younger Scheller is being held unfairly in solitary confinement indefinitely.

Scheller’s father also told Ingraham,

“Our son called for accountability. Throughout the hearing today I don’t feel like they accepted accountability. I am extremely disappointed. It’s no coincidence in my opinion that they put a gag order on [Stuart Jr.] and they put him in prison the day before they had to appear in front of senators – and tomorrow in front of congressmen. I think that is fairly an act of cowardice.”

Scheller Sr. agreed that his son had broken the chain of command by continuing to speak out, but also said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Gens. Milley and McKenzie Jr. have, “broken the chain of trust and confidence of the American people. They should drop their rank and they should resign for that. Today’s hearing showed they won’t accept accountability for the mistakes they made. They wanted to blame everybody else.”

He added, “You and I both know Joe Biden won’t fire them.”

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is an American patriot who dared to speak the truth.

He knew that a four minute, forty-five second video could bring his storied 17-year career in the Marine Corps to a screeching halt, but he did not care.

He laid it all down and spoke truth to power. pic.twitter.com/XvPydUCFTm

— Rep. Madison Cawthorn (@RepCawthorn) September 28, 2021