(PresidentialWire.com)- The Marine who posted a Facebook video slamming the military leadership for bungling the Afghanistan withdrawal pleaded guilty to six charges at his court-martial last Thursday.
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller entered his guilty plea in a special court-martial at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Scheller was charged with multiple offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for posting his four-minute video to Facebook on August 26. In his video, Scheller, dressed in uniform, demanded accountability from the Pentagon over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. He excoriated military leaders for the bone-headed decision to abandon Bagram Airfield, expressing disgust that not one of the senior leaders is willing to take responsibility for the debacle.
Scheller, a 17-year infantry officer who is a veteran of both the Iraq War and Afghanistan, acknowledged in his video that he has a lot to lose for speaking out as he did.
Just one day after posting the video, Scheller was relieved of his command at the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion at Camp Geiger – which is a part of Camp Lejeune.
In a subsequent video posted on social media, Scheller announced that he would be resigning his commission just a couple of years short of the 20 years required to earn him a military pension. He also continued criticizing a string of civilian and military leaders, including former President Donald Trump, but he later walked back that criticism.
With his videos continuing to go viral, Scheller’s superiors banned him from posting on social media. However, he continued to do so in defiance of the order, so he was arrested and put in the brig.
Scheller is charged with: Article 88 (Contempt toward officials), Article 89 (Disrespect toward superior commissioned officers), Article 90 (Willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer), Article 92 (Dereliction in the performance of duties), Article 92 (Failure to obey order or regulation), and Article 133 (Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman).
In lieu of jail time, the plea agreement entailed a maximum sentence of a letter of reprimand, which the judge accepted. However, there may still be actions taken against Scheller’s rank and benefits.
