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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 29 November 2019
Fired Navy Secretary Spencer criticizes Trump in SEAL case

Associated Press O'Keefe.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rich- Danzig, who led the Navy
ard Spencer, who was under President Bill Clinton,
fired as Navy secretary for and O'Keefe, his predeces-
his handling of a SEAL war sor in the administration
crimes case championed of President George H.W.
by President Donald Trump, Bush, wrote in The New York
wrote that the commander Times that Trump has politi-
in chief "has very little un- cized the military to its detri-
derstanding" of how the ment.
American military works. "His values are not those of
The extraordinary accusa- our military," they wrote.
tion came in an opinion Last week, Trump tweeted
piece published on The that Gallagher must be al-
Washington Post's website lowed to keep his Trident
Wednesday evening, three pin, the medal that desig-
days after he was fired. nates a SEAL member. The
Spencer called Trump's in- Navy had planned to let
tervention in the case of an administrative board re-
Navy Chief Petty Officer view the question starting
Edward Gallagher "shock- Monday, but eventually
ing" and unprecedented. Esper decided to stop that
Spencer was fired Sunday process and let Gallagher
by Defense Secretary Mark retire as a SEAL, as Trump
Esper for working a private In this July 27, 2019, file photo, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer talks with the media follow- had ordered.
deal with the White House ing a commissioning ceremony for the U.S. Navy's guided missile destroyer, the USS Paul Ignatius, Earlier Wednesday, the
to ensure that Gallagher at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Navy announced that it
be allowed to retire without Associated Press had canceled the peer-re-
losing his SEAL status. view boards for three SEAL
In his Post article, Spencer cer even before the SEAL's Trump ordered Spencer to to keep it front and center officers who supervised
acknowledged his mis- court martial started to ask transfer Gallagher from the in the media." Gallagher during the Iraq
take but also asserted that that Gallagher be moved brig to the equivalent of an After Gallagher was ac- deployment that gave rise
Trump's actions were detri- out of confinement at a enlisted barracks. quitted of most charges to the war crimes charges.
mental to the military. Navy brig. Spencer said he Spencer said he believes but convicted of posing Acting Navy Secretary
Spencer said Trump had in- resisted Trump because the Trump's interest in the case with the corpse of an Islam- Thomas Modly said the
volved himself in the Galla- presiding judge had decid- stemmed partly from the ic State extremist in Iraq, case was becoming a dis-
gher case "almost from the ed that confinement was way Gallagher's defense he submitted his request traction for the commando
start," by telephoning Spen- important. Nonetheless, lawyers and others "worked to retire. In Spencer's tell- force, known for its quiet
ing, that raised three ques- professionalism but recent-
tions for the Navy, including ly roiled with controversy.
whether Gallagher should The decision was the latest
be allowed to retire at his twist in the Gallagher mat-
current rank. The military ter. Trump has made no
jury had said he should be mention of the three SEAL
demoted. officers also ordered to be
Trump, who had tweeted reviewed. All three had
support for Gallagher and overseen Gallagher dur-
stated that his case had ing his 2017 deployment to
been "handled very badly Iraq.
from the beginning," short- But Modly said there were
circuited the Navy's ad- better ways to address any
ministrative review of Gal- "failures in conduct, perfor-
lagher's status by ordering mance, judgment, or pro-
Spencer to restore Galla- fessionalism exhibited by
gher's rank. these officers."
"This was a shocking and He directed the chief of
unprecedented interven- naval operations to end
tion in a low-level review," the review process for Lt.
Spencer wrote. "It was also Cmdr. Robert Breisch, Lt.
a reminder that the presi- Jacob Portier and Lt. Thom-
dent has very little under- as MacNeil.
standing of what it means "The United States Navy,
to be in the military, to fight and the Naval Special
ethically or to be governed Warfare Community spe-
by a uniform set of rules cifically, have dangerous
and practices." and important work to do,"
Spencer's scathing com- Modly said in a statement.
mentary echoes the thrust "In my judgment, neither
of an opinion piece pub- deserves the continued dis-
lished two days earlier by traction and negative at-
two of his predecessors, tention that recent events
Richard Danzig and Sean have evoked."q