The White House will not intervene in the internal disciplinary review of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher that could decide whether he remains in the commando unit, according to multiple reports Sunday.
The Trump administration gave the Navy the go-ahead to proceed with the review, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior Navy official, despite the president’s tweet last week that the Navy “will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin” that designates him as an elite warrior.
Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, pressed Trump to allow the review last week, saying it was needed to assure the integrity of the military’s judicial process, the Wall Street Journal reported.
They also explained to Trump that he could reverse the decision of the review board, the Journal story said, which is expected to begin hearings early next month.
Trump’s posting put him at odds with top Pentagon officials who, according to several reports, threatened to resign.
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said on Saturday that he needs a “formal order to act,” and he doesn’t interpret Trump’s tweet as a “formal order.” But he denied reports that he threatened to step down over the matter.
Spencer, speaking on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum, said if the president requests the process to stop, the process stops.
“Good order and discipline is also obeying the orders of the president of the United States,” he said.
The Navy began the process to boot the SEAL after Gallagher was found not guilty last July of murdering an Islamic State military fighter while deployed to Iraq in 2017. But he was convicted for posing with the terrorist’s corpse.
Gallagher has already been demoted from the rank of chief petty officer but Trump earlier this month restored his rank.
Gallagher’s lawyers have accused the Navy of trying to remove the SEAL designation in retaliation for Trump’s decision to restore his rank.
Gallagher filed a complaint with the inspector general accusing Rear Adm. Collin Green, the Naval Special Warfare commander, of insubordination for defying Trump’s actions.
Speaking Sunday on “Fox & Friends,” Gallagher repeated his argument that the Navy was acting in retaliation. “They could have taken my Trident at any time they wanted,” he said. “Now they’re trying to take it after the president restored my rank.” Gallagher said he wanted to be allowed to retire on Nov. 30 “with all the honors that I’ve earned, get back to my family.”
With Post wires
