Londonderry, New Hampshire (CNN) 2020 Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg accused President Donald Trump on Friday of "eroding the integrity of the military" for pardoning or considering pardons for service members who were convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has increasingly leaned on his own military service -- he served in the United States Navy Reserve in Afghanistan in 2014 -- to explain a series of his personal views and policies, including his opinion on the use of force and Trump receiving multiple draft deferments during the Vietnam War.

But on Friday in New Hampshire, Buttigieg took a step further by suggesting the President was undercutting the standing of the military by raising the possibility of pardoning a series of service members either convicted of crimes or going through the military justice system.

Trump requested paperwork allowing him to quickly pardon service members either facing trial or those who have already been convicted, The New York Times reported last week . And earlier this month, Trump pardoned Michael Behenna , a former first lieutenant in the US Army convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner.

Buttigieg's comments came after he asked a room full of veterans if they had even been called war criminals or criticized for their service. Many raised their hands and said yes.

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