Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) does not want to be judged for killing 'scores' of civilians in Iraq.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) admitted on Tuesday that he probably killed hundreds of civilians, and "probably" women and children, when he was a Marine serving in Iraq.
"I was an artillery officer and we fired hundreds of rounds into Fallujah, killed probably hundreds of civilians," Hunter said in an interview with Zero Blog Thirty. Duncan elaborated, saying he killed "scores of if not hundreds of civilians, probably killed women and children if there were any left in the city when we invaded."
The interview was focused on Hunter's quest to get Trump to pardon Eddie Gallagher, an alleged war criminal accused of murdering civilians while in Iraq. In the interview, Hunter defended Gallagher for allegedly killing a wounded ISIS man with a knife and texting the photo of the corpse to his buddies.
In the past, Hunter defended taking photos with dead combatants, saying he had done the same thing. Gallagher is also accused of killing a young Iraqi girl and an elderly man from a sniper roost, as well as firing a machine gun indiscriminately at civilians.
Hunter's reaction?
"Even if everything that the prosecutors say is true in this case, then Eddie Gallagher should still be given a break," Hunter said Tuesday.
When Hunter was asked if he even cared that Gallagher's actions went against the rules of war, Hunter said he would still defend Gallagher.
Tuesday's comments were the first time Hunter admitted to killing scores of civilians. And he was incensed that anyone would judge him for casually admitting to causing the deaths of some many people.
"How do you judge me?" Hunter asked. "Do I get judged too?"
The San Diego Union-Tribune tried to follow-up with Hunter to get more information about the admission, but Hunter refused to give any further comment.
Hunter's gruesome admission is not the only controversy he is facing. He's serving in Congress while he is out on bail and awaiting trial after being indicted for misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign to live a lavish lifestyle. Hunter allegedly used campaign funds for family vacations, to go to the theater, and even to pay for visits to the dentist.
Hunter almost violated his parole with a stunt at the U.S.-Mexico border, when he claimed to be in Mexico after hopping over a border barrier. Hunter is not allowed to leave the country while out on parole, but it turned out that despite Hunter's statement, he was about 100 feet away from the border.
With a track record of behavior like his, it's hard not to judge Duncan Hunter.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
