A former Army Special Forces soldier pleaded not guilty to the murder of an unarmed Afghan suspected of being a Taliban bomb-maker in an arraignment his wife described as “another display of the vile nature of Army politics.”
Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, 38, was advised of the charges against him during an arraignment last week in a military court in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, entered Golsteyn’s plea on his behalf. Army prosecutor Maj. Joseph Morman told Golsteyn and Judge Lt. Col. Christopher Martin that Golsteyn is being charged with one count of murder for shooting a man identified only as Rasoul while deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. When offered a trial by jury or judge, Golsteyn chose a jury trial. A date has not been set.
“The arraignment was just another display of the vile nature of Army politics. The prosecutors could not look any of us that support Matt in the face because they know the charge is bogus,” Julie Golsteyn, Mathew’s wife, told the Washington Examiner. “It is still baffling that they have elected to continue with this farce at our and taxpayer expense.”
In February 2010, two Marines working with Golsteyn’s unit were killed by a bomb during the early stages of the Battle of Marjah in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Rasoul was suspected of being involved and brought before a tribal elder, who confirmed he was a Taliban member. Golsteyn has claimed that he released Rasoul and set up an ambush outside his base in case Rasoul escaped toward the Taliban position. When Rasoul did so, Golsteyn shot him dead. According to the Army, Golsteyn and another soldier took Rasoul off base and killed and buried him.
“This prosecution now mischaracterizes justifiable action against a Taliban bomb maker as premeditated murder of an innocent,” Stackhouse said in a statement to American Military News. “Our defense of this case will raise troubling questions about the dubious prosecution of this case, the so-called ‘new’ evidence and witnesses, and the questionable decisions made by U.S. Army leadership at Fort Bragg and beyond.”
Golsteyn disclosed the incident during a 2011 CIA polygraph interview, prompting the Army to open an investigation. It was closed two years later without charges. The case was reopened in 2016 after Golsteyn admitted to killing the suspected bomb-maker in a Fox News Channel interview. Golsteyn was stripped of his Special Forces tab and Silver Star awarded to him for bravery during the battle.
Golsteyn’s case entered the national spotlight after it was reported in May that he was one of several accused military members President Trump was considering for pardons. Golsteyn’s wife, Julie, told the Washington Examiner in May that a pardon “would end the eight year long nightmare” her husband has been living since the investigation started.
Trump has the authority to pardon Golsteyn at any time, though he has stated he may wait until the trial is over before making a decision.
