The above comment by Hugya is itself evidence that "influence" of a trial should be grounds to consider a trial tampered with and suspect in terms of its ability to deliver justice.
Here a congressional "aide" is calling for influencing a trial. Imagining if this were a congressman, senator, secretary, DOD official, etc., recognizes full well that the neat little definition that the "influence" must be influence only within the direct chain of command is not realistic. To pretend that Murtha, chairman of House military appropriations, wasn't able to influence cases in the military is simply denial of the truth.
The law must be changed to prevent this kind of injustice in the future. Railroading troops at the whim of politicians or other powerful people is not justice by any means.
I felt the same way, chaplain. As much as the support is welcome, it still stinks and there’s a bigger story here yet to be uncovered.