Hearing set for Green Beret accused of murdering a Taliban bomb maker in 2010
Julie Golsteyn, wife of Matthew Golsteyn, says her family has been ripped apart after years of investigations.
The wife of a decorated former Green Beret officer who has been charged in the death of a suspected Taliban bomb maker defended her husband and hit back at the Army's tactics against him on Sunday.
Julie, the wife of Major Mathew Golsteyn, said her husband submitted a letter on Friday calling for the charges against him to be dismissed with prejudice. Golsteyn, who faced years of on-and-off investigations after an incident that is said to have taken place during his 2010 deployment, was initially cleared by a military tribunal two years ago. However, the investigation into his actions was re-opened after he spoke with Fox News' Bret Baier.
During her Sunday appearance on "FOX & Friends," his wife claimed that the Army has retaliated against him in a number of ways.
"The Army has rescinded all of his leave and passes, so they are restricting him to Fort Bragg, which is separating him from our children, our family, his civilian employment, which they are desperately trying to make him lose," she told Pete Hegseth, adding that since his legal representation is in Washington, D.C., it was also hampering is defense efforts. "They also orchestrated a pay issue, so Matt will not see a check anytime in the near future."
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As Fox News previously reported, Golsteyn was deployed to Afghanistan with the 3rd Special Forces Group in 2010. Two Marines in his unit during that time were killed by hidden, booby-trapped explosives.
Former Army Special Forces Maj. Mathew Golsteyn (AP)
Golsteyn and his men later found a suspected Taliban bomb maker nearby — though he was not on a list of targets U.S. forces were cleared to kill, Fox News previously reported. After he was detained, Golsteyn said the man refused to talk to investigators.
Under the rules of engagement, Golsteyn was ordered to release him, but he was worried that if he did so, the suspect would have in turn targeted Afghans who were helping American soldiers.
“There's limits on how long you can hold guys,” he told Fox News' Bret Baier in 2016. “You realize quickly that you make things worse. It is an inevitable outcome that people who are cooperating with coalition forces, when identified, will suffer some terrible torture or be killed.”
Decorated US military hero charged with murder
While applying for a job at the CIA, former Major Mathew Golsteyn acknowledged that he had killed an alleged Taliban member suspected of planting a bomb that killed two Marines; national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports from the Pentagon.
Golsteyn told Fox News he killed him.
Now, Golsteyn has an Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian case's preliminary hearing, in March.
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"Matt is asking for somebody in the chain of command to take jurisdiction and dismiss this," Julie said. "We don’t have any hope that anybody’s going to step up and do the right thing."
She also told "FOX and Friends" that they will be asking for a congressional inquiry into the actions of the Army officers who are leading the case against her husband. "We would love to hear from President Trump on the matter if he can step in," she added.
“I think he’s been betrayed,” his attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, told Fox News in December when asked how the Army has treated Golsteyn.
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Fox News reached out to the Army for a statement and will update the story as needed.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, Barnini Chakraborty and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
