Posted on 04/20/2007 8:21:42 AM PDT by RedRover
The only Marine officer at the scene of the attacks on residential homes in Haditha, Iraq, that left nearly two dozen civilians dead in 2005, has received immunity in the case. The move precludes Marine officials from charging him with a crime and paves the way for his eyewitness testimony in trials related to the slayings and alleged coverup.
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, who oversees the Haditha cases, approved immunity for Lt. William T. Kallop on April 3, part of an agreement that includes an order for him to "cooperate and truthfully answer all questions" posed by investigators and lawyers in the case, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
snip
"The Marines cleared it the way they had been trained to clear it, which is frags first," Kallop told investigators in 2006. He has talked with authorities since his grant of immunity, officials said. "It was clear just by the looks of the room that frags went in and then the house was prepped and sprayed like with a machine gun and then they went in. And by the looks of it, they just . . . they went in, cleared the room, everybody was down."
Later, he told investigators: "I'm convinced that we did nothing wrong."
snip
Richard McNeil, an attorney who represents Kallop, declined to comment yesterday. Two sources close to the case said yesterday that as many as eight Marines have received immunity to testify.....
Defense lawyers representing officers who have been charged with not investigating the case felt that Kallop's immunity should also clear their clients. Kevin McDermott, who represents company commander Capt. Lucas M. McConnell, said his client listened to Kallop's version of events to guide his decisions.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
There has been a lot of speculation about witnesses granted immunity from prosecution in the Haditha case. The media reported that Sgt. Dela Cruz only received immunity to a) save his own skin, and b) aid the prosecution.
Well, here's a witness, granted immunity, who is favorable to the defense.
Eight other Marines have also been granted immunity. Some will be favorable, possibly crucial, to the defense.
The noise from Murtha and the media is hard to ignore. But I still see no reason to suspect that General Mattis, and the Corps, wants anything other than fair hearings and a fair process. I am willing to be convinced otherwise. But nothing yet has shaken my faith.
Whatever the outcome of this debacle, it sure bothers me that the officer present at the scene is one getting immunity and the enlisted men are being hung out to dry. What happened to leadership?
I am confused about why Kallop had no charges brought against him, and he was a the scene...but others, that weren’t there, had charges brought against them for a cover up....
That doesn’t make sense to me..
Kangaroo courts rarely make sense.
Looks like the Haditha soldiers are going to get Nifonged.
The USMC does not hold and conduct kangaroo courts.
The concept of giving a Marine officer immunity in exchange for truthfull testimony baffles me. Would he not be expected to do so in any event?
Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard!
I’m beginning to think that the USMC is going after those that did not investigate and covered up that fact and not those actually there.
It is the difference between truthful testimony and no testimony.
It should start at the top - but it did not. We should not have invaded in the first place - but we did. We should have gotten out way before now (the latest being when we got Saddam) - but we did not. The Marines are not trained or intended to be an occupying force - but they are being used that way. The military never performs well when it is misused and overcommited - but that has been the case.
Wow. This is good news. The article from North County Times posted on 4/19 reported the defense attorneys wanted Kallop given immunity. Ta da! WaPo reports on 4/20, that Lt. Gen. Mattis had granted it on 4/3. Wonder why they didn’t tell the defense it had been granted until now? Oh, well, it’s still good news.
...””The Marines cleared it the way they had been trained to clear it, which is frags first,” Kallop told investigators in 2006.”..... “It was clear just by the looks of the room that frags went in and then the house was prepped and sprayed like with a machine gun and then they went in.”....
Sounds like the prosecution and defense are going to have a fight over ROE, primarily. If this is Marine training for clearing a room/house, I think the prosecution is going to have a hard time calling it unpremeditated murder for the Iraqis killed in the first two houses.
Definitely Nifonged by Murtha and the media. The news about Kallop, though, shows impartiality on the part of the Corps. This is good news.
I think I remember at the beginning of all this there were two issues. The killing of civilians and then an attempt to cover it up with an untrue set of stories. I think that a Marine court would be hard pressed to second guess Marines who had been attacked and were acting in good faith in the fog of combat, but if individuals tried to candy coat the story, they will bare the brunt of all of this. Unfortunately a whole lot of good Marines may get caught in the litigation.
That may not be what is happening. Perhaps the officer's testimony exonerates his men, but implicates himself in a minor way.
This would be unusual in a civilian court. However, the military might actually be interested in obtaining the truth.
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