Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer over his handling of the case involving Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher and ordered that Gallagher keep his trident. Donald Trump took to Twitter to intervene in the case and have his Trident pin restored after he pardoned Gallagher along with two Army officers accused of war crimes in Afghanistan.
The Navy had tried to kick Gallagher out of the elite SEAL community after Gallagher was acquitted of murder in July. However, he was convicted of posing for a picture with a dead ISIS fighter and sentenced to be reduced one rank to first-class petty officer. Trump has been pardoning war criminals and that isn’t a good look for the military. The military tries to stay nonpolitical but Trump’s latest moves put them at odds with their “Commander-in-Chief.”
I was not pleased with the way that Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s trial was handled by the Navy. He was treated very badly but, despite this, was completely exonerated on all major charges. I then restored Eddie’s rank. Likewise, large cost overruns from past administration’s…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
….contracting procedures were not addressed to my satisfaction. Therefore, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer’s services have been terminated by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. I thank Richard for his service & commitment. Eddie will retire peacefully with all of the…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
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….honors that he has earned, including his Trident Pin. Admiral and now Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated by me to be the new Secretary of the Navy. A man of great achievement and success, I know Ken will do an outstanding job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2019
Spencer penned a letter of resignation stating that he has a fundamental disagreement with the “president” over the handling of Gallagher’s trident and their different interpretations of “good order and discipline.”
“The rule of law is what sets us apart from our adversaries,” Spencer wrote in his letter. “Good order and discipline is what has enabled our victory against foreign tyranny time and time again.”
“Unfortunately, it has become apparent that in this respect, I no longer share the same understanding with the Commander in Chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline,” he continued. “I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
BREAKING: In extraordinary resignation letter, US Navy Sec. Spencer writes that “I no longer share the same understanding as the Commander in Chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline.” https://t.co/nV9pJGXJPI pic.twitter.com/u6xX6Ai3xL
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 24, 2019
Esper reportedly asked Spencer to resign after learning that Spencer promised White House officials that Gallagher would retire with his trident if they did not interfere with his review board.
“I am deeply troubled by this conduct shown by a senior DOD official,” Esper said. “Unfortunately, as a result, I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position. I wish Richard well.”
There are now three different versions of what took place.
There are now 3 versions of Spencer firing:
TRUMP: Navy treated Gallagher badly + cost overruns
ESPER: Spencer sidestepped DOD, made secret proposal to WH to allow Gallagher to retire w/ Trident pin
SPENCER: Resigned because he couldn’t obey Trump order on Gallagher https://t.co/p72PJ3GZoo— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) November 24, 2019
What a hot mess, and of course, none of this is normal. Trump is destroying the military’s credibility as he treats them like toy soldiers who exist merely for his amusement.
Featured image via screen capture
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