(NewsNation Now) — A Marine lieutenant colonel told a military judge he was guilty of disrespecting superior officers at a court martial Thursday.
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller posted videos on multiple social media platforms demanding “accountability” from military leaders and President Joe Biden as the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan turned deadly.
The judge is expected to issue his sentence Friday. Prosecutors are recommending that Scheller be ordered to forfeit $5,000 of pay per month for six months.
Scheller is asking for an honorable discharge from the military.
Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, who testified at the hearing in defense of Scheller, said the issue in this case is the context, not the action.
“The reason he posted all this is because what I believe is a legitimate calling out of his chain of command for a series of material failures,” Shaffer said on NewsNation’s “The Donlon Report.”
Shaffer, and even Scheller’s parents, believe the military wants the issue to go away.
“He understands the chain of command,” Stuart Scheller’s mother, Kathy Scheller, said on “NewsNation Prime” last month. “He understands that you also have to, you have an obligation to hold your superiors accountable.”
Others who spoke at the hearing, including Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Louie Gohmert, praised Scheller and called for military leaders to be punished for the withdrawal.
Scheller made three videos before being thrown in the brig, and acknowledged Thursday that he was ordered to stop, but continued anyway.
“Colonel Scheller stood up and said, ‘Absolutely, I take responsibility for my actions. I expect my superiors to take responsibility for their actions,'” Shaffer said during “The Donlon Report” on Thursday. “And that’s where it’s at right now.”