In a sweeping series of measures announced Thursday night, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson dismissed all charges against a SEAL officer charged with covering up war crimes, stopped the ongoing probe of another special operator petty officer and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the performance of Navy JAG leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson today dismissed all charges in the case of Lt. Jacob Portier. He also withheld authority to take any action in the case of Petty Officer 1st Class Corey Scott,” the prepared statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scott was the SEAL who confessed on the witness stand during the court-martial trial of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward \u201cEddie\u201d Gallagher to murdering a detainee in Iraq in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Navy officials in San Diego quickly leaked to media outlets that they were starting a perjury probe into Scott\u2019s sworn testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the military jury hearing Gallagher\u2019s case was swayed by his candid confession that he blocked the breathing tube of a wounded Islamic State fighter so that he wouldn\u2019t be tortured to death later by Iraqi forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement indicated that Richardson \u201ctook this action in the best interest of justice and the Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAdditionally, as part of an ongoing assessment of Judge Advocate General\u2019s (JAG) Corps performance, Richardson directed Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bob Burke to conduct a Comprehensive Review into the leadership and performance of the JAG Corps. This review is intended to ensure the JAG Corps provides exemplary support to the Navy and the nation,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\t