Matt Gaetz is rapidly gaining a reputation for consorting with murderers. His adviser on military issues, Derrick Miller, is a convicted war criminal who shot an unarmed man in the head. After The Intercept published an article about Miller on Wednesday, Gaetz's issued a statement from his office: "We proudly stand with our Military Legislative Assistant Derrick Miller. He was wrongfully convicted and served our country with honor."
Derrick Miller, a former US National Guard member, was convicted in 2010 for the murder of Atta Mohammed, an unarmed Afghan civilian. The Intercept reports that Miller accused the 27-year-old man of breaching his unit's defensive perimeter. After a brief interrogation, Miller pinned Mohammed to the ground and shot him in the head. Following the act, Miller informed his unit, "I shot him. He was a liar."
The Independent notes that Miller was initially sentenced to life in prison for premeditated murder. However, a parole board cleared him for release after serving less than a decade behind bars. Miller has since worked for two House members and is the Congressional Justice For Warriors Caucus executive director. This official congressional caucus aims to exonerate US service members convicted of crimes committed while deployed abroad.
