Secretary of Navy fired over disputed SEAL case
Pentagon chief asks him to step down due to handling of issue
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday after losing confidence in him over his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Spencer’s ouster was another dramatic turn in the story of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a SEAL who was accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment. Gallagher was acquitted of murder but convicted in July of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State group prisoner.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the decision on Twitter, accusing the Navy of mishandling the Gallagher case.
“Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer’s services have been terminated by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper,” Trump wrote. “I thank Richard for his service & commitment.”
Rather than blaming how the Navy pursued Gallagher, however, Esper said Spencer privately proposed to White House officials that he would ensure that Gallagher retired as a SEAL, with his Trident insignia, if they did not interfere with a review board convened to determine his fitness to stay in the elite force.
Spencer’s proposal to the White House, which he did not share with Esper during several conversations about the matter, contradicted his own public position on the case, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
Esper said in the statement that he was “deeply troubled by this conduct.”
“Unfortunately, as a result I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position,” Esper said. “I wish Richard well.”
A spokeswoman for Spencer, Cmdr. Sarah Higgins, said Sunday that she had “nothing to share at this time.”
Hoffman said Esper has suggested to Trump that Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired Navy rear admiral who is the U.S. ambassador to Norway, be considered as the next Na
vy secretary.
Trump later confirmed on Twitter that he will nominate Braithwaite.
Esper and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, learned of Spencer’s private offer to the White House when they spoke with Trump on Friday, Hoffman said.
Spencer’s proposal came after Trump intervened in the cases of Gallagher and two soldiers Nov. 15. Countering Pentagon recommendations, the president issued pardons to Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who faced a murder trial next year, and former 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, who was convicted in 2013 in the murders of two unarmed men in Afghanistan.
Trump also reinstated Gallagher’s rank after the SEAL was demoted as punishment for posing for the photograph with the corpse.
After Trump’s intervention in the case, Rear Adm. Collin Green, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, moved to convene review boards for him and three other SEALs to determine whether they should be ejected from the force.
That prompted speculation that Spencer might resign or be fired for standing up to Trump, along with angry reactions from Gallagher and advocates for him.
“This is all about ego and retaliation,” Gallagher said on “Fox and Friends” on Sunday morning. “This has nothing to do with good order and discipline. They could have taken my Trident at any time they wanted. Now they’re trying to take it after the president restored my rank.”
Hoffman said that while
Esper’s position is typically that military justice and disciplinary reviews should be allowed to play out “objectively and deliberately,” the actions over the past few days have led him to let Gallagher keep the Trident.
A lawyer for Gallagher, Tim Parlatore, greeted that news positively Sunday night. He also expressed amazement in the turn of events leading to Spencer’s removal.
“This case is bananas,” he said. “Yes, you can quote that.”
The Pentagon has not clarified how it will handle similar issues for Golsteyn.
The Army revoked his Special Forces tab and took away a Silver Star he had been awarded for valor in Afghanistan, and it has not said whether it will give them back.
Golsteyn’s Silver Star had been approved for an upgrade to the Distinguished Service Cross, one step down from the Medal of Honor, before it was revoked.
Spencer made his private pitch to the White House in conversations before a Thursday tweet by Trump, in which the president publicly pushed back against the Navy launching a review that could have stripped Gallagher of his Navy SEAL status.
“The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Trump wrote. “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
On Saturday, Spencer downplayed any conflict with the president while speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum.
“Contrary to popular belief, I am still here. I did not threaten to resign,” he said. “We are here to talk about external threats, and Eddie Gallagher is not one of them.”