Rachel #Maddow used her last segment yesterday (http://on.msnbc.com/...) to highlight the case of US Army Maj. Jason Wright, a JAG attorney assigned to defend accused terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). However, Wright's superiors have ordered him to a "retraining" course ( a period requirement for JAG attorneys), and have declined his request for a deferral to allow him to complete the KSM case. Because Maj. Wright's legal ethics demand that he remain on the case, he faces a conflict of interest, and has had to resign from the Army, effective at the end of the summer. I have created a White House petition (http://wh.gov/...), urging the President to reinstate Maj. Wright immediately.
We won't win the so-called War on Terror with guns and bombs alone, no matter how great our weapon systems, no matter how valiant and well-trained our soldiers. We can only win by showing the superiority of our values, and specifically our dedication to the Rule of Law, which means that every defendant, even a notorious scumbag, gets a vigorous and full-throated defense. The military has its priorities backwards in requiring Maj. Wright to take a continuing education class at the expense of his client's defense in a capital case. Maj. Wright resigned the Army on March 26, 2014, but his resignation is not effective until late summer.
Here is the Executive Order I would like to see from President Obama on this issue:
1. As President of the United States and as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I hereby formally request but do not require that US Army Major Jason Wright rescind his letter of resignation dated 26 March 2014.
2. I hereby order all US military and executive officials to cooperate with Major Wright in rendering his resignation inoperative and in fulfilling his professional obligation to vigorously represent his client in the pending proceedings. In particular, he shall not be removed from the present case for any reason other than disability or dereliction of duty related to those specific proceedings.
3. I hereby order the deferment of any and all retraining or any other non-emergency duties for Major Wright until 90 days following the conclusion of the case to which he is currently assigned.
4. I hereby order that, under penalty of court martial, no member of the United States Armed Forces shall in any way give Major Wright less favorable treatment as a result of this deferment, his letter of resignation, or his representation of this client.