Maj. Mathew Golsteyn case under White House review, Trump says

The case of Maj. Matthew Golsteyn, the decorated former Green Beret facing murder charges after killing a Taliban bomb-maker in Afghanistan, is now under review by the White House, the president said Saturday.

President Trump praised Golsteyn in a tweet Saturday morning 

"Mathew is a highly decorated Green Beret who is being tried for killing a Taliban bombmaker. We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill," he wrote.

Golsteyn was charged with premeditated murder in the death of the suspected militant in 2010. An initial investigation by the Army didn’t find sufficient evidence to bring charges.

The Army opened a second investigation in 2016 and charged Golsteyn in December 2018. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Golsteyn's mother, Nancy Golsteyn said on "Fox & Friends: Weekend" that a previously delayed motion hearing on Monday was "very disconcerting." 

"Number one: they made it obvious that they will go to any length to convict Matt," she told host Pete Hegseth. "And, they put a CID (Criminal Investigation Division) agent on the stand who very proudly admitted to reaching out to regional warlord with ties to the Taliban to come up with family witnesses. Family of the Taliban bombmaker that Matt lawfully engaged in a targeted way," she said.

"Plus, the fact that they're negotiating with terrorists. President Trump has broken off all negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan and they're, behind his back, negotiating with them," Golsteyn lamented.

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"No pictures of relationships with the Taliban bombmaker. They're just accepting who they are by what the word is of the Taliban," she noted.

A statement released from U.S. Army Special Operations Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Loren Bymer said that the U.S. Army Special Operation Command (USASOC) would comply with the law. 

"Trials involve a number of procedural requirements, and [USASOC] will continue to comply with all rules of evidence and procedures, as well as all applicable law and regulation. USASOC does not litigate cases in the media. As such, USASOC will present the facts concerning this court-martial, as with every court-martial, in a courtroom," the statement said. "Maj. Golsteyn continues to have access to legal counsel, just as every other soldier, and continues to be presumed innocent."

Reacting to Bymer's statement, Golsteyn said: "They had a motion on Monday to hide the fact that the minimum mandatory sentence for premeditated murder is life in prison. They don't want that said in court."

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"Why are they hiding the truth? Why are they hiding the identity of these witnesses? Why are they negotiating with the Taliban behind the president's back?" she asked. 

She said she believes that the case has been delayed because those leading the charge of the prosecution are "hopeful" there will be a new president in 2020. 

A court date has been set for December.

Fox News' Melissa Leon contributed to this report.