Nov 7, 2019   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

MilitaryDefender: Family of Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn Is Grateful for Presidential Support

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., Nov. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Supporters of Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn are encouraged by news that President Trump has committed to ending the dubious, long-delayed prosecution of the decorated Green Beret, his defense attorney Phillip Stackhouse said today.

Cleared previously by an Army Board of Inquiry in the 2010 ambush of a Taliban bombmaker in Afghanistan, Maj. Golsteyn faced yet another delay in his legal team's effort to exonerate him in a trial that was set to begin in three weeks at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. Instead, the trial was reset for Feb. 19, 2020 at the request of the prosecutors who stated they could not be ready by Dec. 2, 2019.

The military judge presiding in Maj. Golsteyn's case, Col. Tyesha Smith, granted an Army motion requesting more time to complete ongoing "classification" of trial evidence which was previously unclassified and publicly disclosed in 2015.

Mr. Stackhouse said, "News that the president is preparing to clear Maj. Golsteyn is encouraging. It's time to end this runaway prosecution which is contaminated by bogus 'new' evidence, compromised Taliban 'witnesses' purportedly found by a now-disgraced military investigator, and unproduced emails related to the case that go all the way to Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The President's action will allow us to set the record straight on this troubling prosecution."

Maj. Golsteyn said, "My family and I are grateful that President Trump is taking action. His involvement is critical and urgently needed. We hope to get the good news soon. In the meantime, our family is so appreciative of the support we have received from around the nation from other military families and friends."

In a series of motions filed ahead of the trial and in other court filings, Maj. Golsteyn's legal team recently asserted:

    --  The judge in the court-martial of Maj. Golsteyn granted prosecution
        motions to prevent the defense from using Board of Inquiry evidence, in
        which he was cleared of a Law of War violation, or discussing the
        mandatory minimum-life sentencing guidelines at issue in the case;
    --  The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is now inexplicably classifying
        evidence after-the-fact in several instances that were previously
        unclassified, and;
    --  The government routinely denied Maj. Golsteyn access to elements of his
        legal team in Washington, D.C. and the command refused to provide the
        military counsel of his choice throughout much of 2019.

Mr. Stackhouse said, "Maj. Golsteyn was originally cleared in this incident for which he now stands accused. He should have been separated or medically retired because of service-related injuries and allowed to move on with his life and family. Instead, the Army has secretly pursued him for seven years. The origination and true motivation of this prosecution remains a mystery."

Since arraignment, the Government has continued to hide evidence to be used in the case against Maj. Golsteyn, Mr. Stackhouse said.

"Imagine being charged with murder and not being able to face your accuser or see evidence that may be used against you," Mr. Stackhouse said. "In every respect, Maj. Golsteyn's due process rights have been abused: the right to counsel, the right to a speedy trial, and the right to confront witnesses. The lack of accountability and secrecy by the Army prosecutors is astonishing. In the meantime, Maj. Golsteyn and his family live with constant uncertainty and in fear of this compromised, runaway prosecution."

Maj. Golsteyn was reactivated by the Army to face trial. He lives near Fort Bragg while his wife Julie, 13-year-old son, and year-old son live in Virginia.

In his deployment with 3rd Special Forces Group, Maj. Golsteyn, then a Captain, saw intense action in the war. He was nominated and approved for the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest award for valor and awarded a Silver Star medal, the nation's third-highest award for valor, for tracking down a sniper that targeted his troops and he assisted a wounded Afghan soldier while also coordinating multiple airstrikes.

In 2010 Maj. Golsteyn participated in Operation Moshtarak, a campaign to liberate the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah in the Helmand Province. In February, a bomb killed two marines on Maj. Golsteyn's team. The Taliban bombmaker was then located, questioned, and later killed on the battlefield as he returned to conduct operations against U.S. Forces, Maj. Golsteyn's defense team asserts.

More information about the case is available at www.USvGolsteyn.com.

CONTACT: Erin Powers, Powers MediaWorks, for Phillip Stackhouse | MilitaryDefender, 281.703.6000, info@powersmediaworks.com.

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SOURCE Phillip Stackhouse | MilitaryDefender