Marine Lt. Col. Scheller Pleads Guilty, Renews Calls for Accountability

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Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to all charges against him at a special court-martial trial related to his criticisms about how senior military officials handled the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, although he didnโ€™t backpedal from his calls for accountability.

Schellerโ€™s punishment has yet to be finalized. U.S. Marine Corps Judge Glen Hines accepted his plea agreement and stipulation of facts, and witnesses testified about Schellerโ€™s character to inform his sentencing decision.

Scheller spoke just before this articleโ€™s publication, and The Epoch Times obtained a copy of his written testimony. Closing arguments are still scheduled before Hines renders his punishment.

According to the written testimony, Scheller apologized for the unprofessional nature of some of his comments, but he still criticized senior leadership for failing to accept accountability for the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.

โ€œI believe the General officers have demonstrated that they are unable or unwilling to hold themselves accountable. As a result, I believe fundamental change needs to occur in the military,โ€ he said. โ€œI am being held accountable for my actions. The General officers should be held accountable for their failures.โ€

Scheller also criticized the Marine Corps for apparently leaking confidential records about him to Task and Purpose.

โ€œI was painted as a violent extremist, fascist, and the journalist even made a connection to Hitler. Obviously, you can understand that I was very angry following the article,โ€ he said. โ€œAfter everything Iโ€™ve been through, I feel itโ€™s reasonable to conclude that the Marine Corps and Task and Purpose were working together in an effort to smear my name.โ€

The Marine further pointed out that he hasnโ€™t been charged with making false statements โ€œbecause everything I have said is true.โ€

โ€œIf the Marine Corps could have charged me with it, they would have,โ€ he said.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the maximum punishment Scheller faces is a letter of reprimand. He also faces a potential general discharge under honorable conditions, which can reduce the number of benefits available to him.

The Epoch Times also obtained theย stipulation of factsย accepted by Hines. The document specifies the statements that put Scheller in hot water with his superiors, as well as Schellerโ€™s reasons for pleading guilty.

The first charge stems from an Aug. 26 video he posted criticizing leaders for abandoning Bagram Air Base.

โ€œPotentially, all of those people did die in vain if we donโ€™t have senior leaders that own up and raise their hand and say we did not do this well in the end,โ€ Scheller said.

Scheller also pleaded guilty to charges related to his continued social media messages made after officials placed restrictions on posting.

Byย Ken Silva

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

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