Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Jim Amos was accused by 27 former Marine and Navy officers and lawyers of unlawful command influence in a letter sent Tuesday to the Senate and House armed services committees.
The letter said Amos deprived Marines of due process, made misleading statements under oath, abused the legal discovery processes, and set out to tarnish the reputation of a Marine Corps whistleblower. The Marine Corps Times reports:
The allegations stem from a 2011 incident in which scout snipers in Afghanistan filmed themselves urinating on the corpses of insurgents. The video was later posted to YouTube, creating an international embarrassment for the Marine Corps and prompting Amos to embark on a 2012 "Heritage Brief" tour of the Marine Corps in which he condemned the snipers’ actions.
The initial convening authority on the sniper cases, Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, would later say in a sworn statement that Amos stripped him of authority to prosecute when he would not promise to ensure that all linked to the scandal were thrown out of the Corps.
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"To be sure, Major Weirick should be congratulated, and most certainly not condemned, for bringing these issues to the forefront," the letter writers conclude.
"We urge you to exercise your oversight responsibilities and fully explore these events so that due process, fundamental fairness, and most of all, integrity, remain more revered within the military justice system and in the traditions of the United States Marine Corps."