The Line
In 2018, a group of Navy SEALs broke ranks and accused their chief, Eddie Gallagher, of murder—sucking them all into the biggest war crimes trial in a generation. Did a Navy SEAL cross the line in Iraq? Dan Taberski (“Running from COPS”) takes you inside that courtroom for the first time, peeling back the curtain on how America wages its wars now and revealing the story that the media covering the trial blew right past. Through intimate conversations with over 50 special operators, the series explores just how blurred the line between right and wrong has become in the forever wars—and what that’s doing to the hearts and minds of those we send to fight them.
New Episodes on Tuesdays.
An Apple Original podcast produced by Jigsaw Productions. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
Our Editor's Take
The Line is a documentary podcast about the trial of Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher. The podcast is set in 2017, when the Iraq War is in its fifteenth year. No one remembers why there's a war. Inside a Navy prison, a young ISIS fighter dies. For the members of SEAL Team 7, that one death is a breaking point. As a group, the SEALs of Alpha Platoon accuse Eddie Gallagher, their team lead, of war crimes.
The Line tells the story of the aftermath of Alpha Platoon's accusations against Gallagher. What impact did they have on the SEAL community as a whole? How did Andrea Gallagher, Eddie's wife, react? Were the SEALs who testified lying about anything? As the story unfolds, bigger questions come up. A court-martial occurs when a member of the military is put on trial for a crime. Members of the military get trained to kill. But which killings are acceptable and which aren't?
The creator and narrator of The Line is investigative journalist Dan Taberski. His preferred medium is podcasting. He created Running From COPS, which explores the impact of reality TV on America. He's also the maker of 9/12, a show about the cultural shifts that followed the 9/11 attacks in New York.
Like all good investigative journalism, The Line is about more than its purported topic. It explores Navy SEALs and their culture. It also examines why the elite military body is so intriguing to so many. The podcast also explores the impact of endless war on the SEALs.
Listeners who enjoy investigative pieces may appreciate The Line. Those curious about the Gallagher trial will receive a solid account of the case.
Episodes
