California congressman says he’s taken photo with dead enemy

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has acknowledged taking a photo with a dead combatant during his time as a Marine as he defended a Navy SEAL charged with multiple war crimes.

The Union-Tribune reports the Republican congressman made the comments during a town hall Saturday in his San Diego-area district.

Hunter has advocated for a pardon for Edward Gallagher, who’s charged with stabbing to death a teenage Islamic State fighter under his care in Iraq in 2017 and then holding his reenlistment ceremony with the body.

Hunter told the audience that he also posed for a photo next to a dead combatant but said he didn’t text it or post to social media.

He called the military justice system “corrupt.”

Calls to Hunter’s offices weren’t returned Monday.