Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of having US troops who were convicted or accused of war crimes join him on the campaign trail, according to a report from The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast spoke with two sources who said they overheard Trump discussing appearances at 2020 rallies by former US Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, former US Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, or Navy SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher.

Lorance was convicted of ordering soldiers to engage three unarmed Afghan men and was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Golsteyn was accused of killing an unarmed Afghan man in 2010, and his trial had not yet begun.

Gallagher was convicted of posing with a corpse of a dead ISIS fighter and was acquitted of other more serious charges.

On November 15, Trump intervened in all three cases, granting clemency to Lorance and Golsteyn and reversing a decision to demote Gallagher.

Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump is considering inviting US troops who were convicted or accused of war crimes to join him on the 2020 campaign trail, according to a report from The Daily Beast.

The outlet spoke with two sources who said they overheard Trump saying he wanted former US Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, former US Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, or Navy SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher to participate in his rallies.

One source told The Daily Beast: „He briefly discussed making it a big deal at the convention.“

Lorance was convicted of ordering soldiers to engage three unarmed Afghan men and was sentenced to 19 years in prison; Golsteyn was accused of killing an unarmed Afghan man in 2010, and his trial had not yet begun; and Gallagher was convicted of posing with a corpse of a dead Islamic State fighter and was acquitted of other more serious charges.

On November 15, Trump intervened in all three cases, granting clemency to Lorance and Golsteyn and reversing a decision to demote Gallagher against the advice of military officials.

„It’s just institutionally harmful,“ Rachel VanLandingham, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and former judge advocate, told The New York Times after the pardons.

„This isn’t about these three individuals, it’s about the whole military justice system and whether that system itself is something of value to the operations of the military.“

Trump’s intervention in Gallagher’s case caused recent turmoil and ultimately forced the resignation of Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer.

eddie gallagher Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

The president, as commander in chief, has the authority to pardon US service members.

Via a tweet, Trump warned the US Navy not to put Gallagher’s case before a review board, which would decide whether he was fit to retain his title as a SEAL.

The executive decision effectively nixed the peer review ordered by US Navy Rear Adm. Collin Green, the head of the Navy SEALs, which set the scene for Spencer’s ouster during the weekend.

Spencer described Trump’s decision to prevent Gallagher’s review as a mistake. A previous New York Times report said Spencer and Green had threatened to resign if Trump intervened on Gallagher’s behalf.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper ultimately forced Spencer’s resignation, reportedly after learning that Spencer had circumvented the chain of command by negotiating Gallagher’s case directly with the White House.

Some reports indicated that as part of those secret negotiations Spencer assured the White House he would allow Gallagher to retain his SEAL designation regardless of the review board’s recommendations but wanted the process to run its course.

„What message does that send to the troops? That you can get away with things,“ Spencer told CBS on Monday after he was ousted.

„We have to have good order and discipline. It’s the backbone of what we do, and the trident review process with the senior enlisted reviewing fellow senior enlisted is critical.“

On Monday, the Navy officially said Gallagher’s „special designation review“ was canceled. „He will retire from active duty,“ according to a statement. „We will not provide additionally details due to privacy concerns.“

Another consideration is the Department of Defense’s rule for active-duty members‘ political participation.

„Members on active duty may not participate in partisan activities such as soliciting or engaging in partisan fundraiser activities, serving as the sponsor of a partisan club, or speaking before a partisan gathering,“ according to the Department of Defense.

„In addition, all military members, including National Guard and Reserve forces, are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign events.“

Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign responded immediately to further questions from Business Insider.