Richard Spencer served as U.S. Secretary of the Navy from August 2017 until November 2019.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired Spencer for reportedly “going behind his back” to resolve a matter involving reinstating a Navy SEAL, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murdering an Islamic State militant prisoner.
Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photograph with the corpse of the 17-year-old ISIS detainee he had allegedly murdered.
A Pentagon spokesman said that Esper had learned that Spencer had gone directly to the White House to propose that Gallagher retire but would retain his Trident pin that signifies membership in the elite SEALs.
ABC News learned that Gallagher’s lawyer had confirmed that his client said he would voluntarily relinquish his Trident before Spencer’s firing became public.
Esper then decided that Gallagher would retire but keep his Trident pin.
So Spencer, Esper, and Gallagher ended up getting what they wanted — but Spencer lost his job.
ABC News referred to this as “ironic.”
Another word is “moronic.”
Gallagher was accused of stabbing to death a wounded Islamic State prisoner and then posing for a photo with the corpse in Iraq in 2017.
Gallagher’s punishment included four months of time served and a reduction in rank.
Trump intervened and restored Gallagher’s rank.
The New York Times reported that Trump criticized Navy officials who began disciplinary proceedings against Gallagher to take away his Trident pin that would sever his relationship with the SEAL unit.
Trump tweeted “the Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin.”
He added: “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”
The Times reported that Trump’s tweet angered Navy and SEALs officials and officers.
Spencer threatened to resign over Trump’s interference with military discipline, the newspaper said. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went to Trump’s office and requested that he let the disciplinary process proceed.
This was when Esper learned that Spencer had been in contact with the president.
