Acting Navy secretary apologizes amid uproar over leaked carrier speech
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly apologized on Monday night for incendiary comments made to the crew of an aircraft carrier in which he criticized their former captain, who was fired after sounding the alarm about an outbreak of coronavirus on the ship.
The apology from Modly came just hours after the top Navy leader said he stood by "every word" of his speech to the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in which he called the decision by Capt. Brett Crozier to broadly distribute a letter requesting assistance "naive" and "stupid.”
"I want to apologize to the Navy for my recent comments to the crew of the TR,” Modly said in a statement. “Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite.”
“I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship,” Modly added. “I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused. I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused.”
Modly has come under fire from Democratic lawmakers, who have demanded he resign or be fired after audio leaked of the profanity-laced speech made Sunday to the Roosevelt’s crew.
It also comes as President Donald Trump pledged Monday to "get involved" in the Navy's decision to fire the aircraft carrier commander, who sounded the alarm about an outbreak of coronavirus on his ship.
"I'm going to get involved and see exactly what's going on there," Trump told reporters. "Because I don't want to destroy somebody for having a bad day."
The news that Trump might intervene in the case could spell trouble for Modly, who made the decision to fire Crozier for broadly emailing a letter last week requesting assistance as more crew members tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trump said he had heard good things about both Crozier and Modly. "You have two good people and they're arguing, and believe it or not I'm good at settling arguments," the president said at the daily White House coronavirus briefing.
On Crozier, Trump said that "the letter shouldn't have been sent," but added that "his career prior to that was very good."
Trump's comments are reminiscent of his decision last year to clear Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher after he was acquitted of all but one charge in a war crimes trial, and the subsequent firing of then-Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer for how he handled the move.
In Modly's speech to the crew over the ship's public address system on Sunday, the acting Navy secretary criticized Crozier for emailing the letter to several people. It was later published by Crozier's hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle.
The ship, which had been on deployment, is in Guam, where leaders are systematically removing personnel from the carrier and putting them in quarantine. More than 150 sailors have tested positive for Covid-19.
A transcript, as well as the audio of Modly's remarks to the crew, was leaked to several media outlets Monday. Modly did not share his remarks with the White House or Defense Secretary Mark Esper's office ahead of time, a defense official told POLITICOIn the speech, the acting Navy secretary said Crozier was "too naive, or too stupid, to be the commanding officer of a ship like this" if he thought the contents of his letter wouldn't become public.
"The alternative is that he did it on purpose," Modly said, according to the recording. "And that's a serious violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which you are all familiar with."
Modly called Crozier's letter a "betrayal." He accused the captain of considering the media — which he claimed is trying to embarrass the service — as part of his chain of command.
"There is no, no situation where you go to the media, because the media has an agenda. And the agenda that they have depends on which part of the political aisle they sit," Modly said. "And I'm sorry that's the way the country is now, but that's the truth. And so they use it to divide us. They use it to embarrass the Navy."
"I understand you love the guy," Modly told sailors of Crozier. "It's good that you love him. But you're not required to love him."
The defense official said Modly did not mean to insult Crozier's intelligence, noting that the captain is "a bright, bright officer." The acting secretary came to the conclusion that Crozier "wasn't thinking straight" and "made an emotional decision" in order to help his crew, the official said.
But amid the uproar earlier Monday, Modly's office told POLITICO that he stood by "every word" he said to the crew.
"The spoken words were from the heart, and meant for them. I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis," Modly said in a statement. "Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but don’t expect, that people read them in their entirety."
Several Democratic lawmakers have since called for Modly to be fired or resign.
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a retired Navy officer who represents the Norfolk area, was the first lawmaker to call for Esper to oust Modly over his remarks to sailors aboard the Roosevelt.
"TR Sailors are on the frontlines of this pandemic and of our nation’s defense in the Pacific," Luria said in a statement. "Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly’s remarks to the crew show that he is in no way fit to lead our Navy through this trying time. Esper should immediately fire him."
Her comments were echoed by other Democrats, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Rep. Filemón Vela (D-Texas), Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.). Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) also said Modly should "resign or be removed immediately."
House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) added that Modly's removal of Crozier "was at best and overreaction" and called for the Navy chief's job.
"Acting Secretary Modly’s decision to address the sailors on the Roosevelt and personally attack Captain Crozier shows a tone-deaf approach more focused on personal ego than one of the calm, steady leadership we so desperately need in this crisis," Smith said in a statement. "I no longer have confidence in Acting Secretary Modly’s leadership of the Navy and believe he should be removed from his position."
Separately, 17 Democratic senators last week called for the Pentagon inspector general's office to investigate Crozier's firing as well as the outbreak on the Roosevelt.
Crozier was relieved of command on Thursday, two days after the Chronicle published his letter.
Some retired Navy flag officers raised concerns about Modly's decision to relieve Crozier before the investigation into his actions is complete. Retired Vice Adm. John Miller, the former commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet, said Modly's decision is "problematic" given his seniority to the investigating officials.
"Having the Navy’s top civilian leader as the relieving officer potentially challenges this process," Miller told POLITICO. "The officers involved in the review of Captain Crozier’s relief will need to act with as much transparency as the regulations and legal privacy requirements for the Captain allow."
The firing has also drawn in Esper, who said he agreed with Modly's call.
"It was based on his view that he had lost faith and confidence in the captain based on his actions. It was supported by Navy leadership," Esper said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "And I think it’s just another example of how we hold leaders accountable for their actions."
Amid the firestorm, Trump's pick to permanently lead the Navy, Kenneth Braithwaite, awaits confirmation by the Senate. Braithwaite, now ambassador to Norway, was formally nominated in March, but had been announced as Trump's pick months earlier.
Photo: Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. | Thomas Modly, File/AP Photo
