A US Navy Seal who was tried for war crimes was described by members of his unit as “evil”, “toxic”, and “perfectly OK with killing anybody”, according to footage obtained by the New York Times.
The case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher gained national attention when President Trump championed him.
Gallagher was demoted by the Navy after his trial earlier this year but Mr Trump reversed the decision.
In doing so, the president contradicted the Navy's most senior leaders.
Mr Trump recently hosted Gallagher and his wife at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and described the soldier at a rally as one of the country's “great fighters”.
Gallagher denied any wrongdoing, claiming the case against him was concocted by disgruntled members of his unit who wanted to force him out.
What does the new footage show?
The video recordings obtained by the New York Times show Navy Seals giving evidence to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). They have never been shown publicly before, the Times reported.
The soldiers from Alpha Platoon Seal Team 7 were visibly nervous and some broke down into tears as they recalled what they had witnessed.
“The guy is freaking evil,” said Special Operator Craig Miller.
In a separate interview, Special Operator First Class Joshua Vriens, a sniper, described their platoon chief as “toxic”.
Special Operator First Class Corey Scott said: “You could tell he was perfectly OK with killing anybody…
