From Malcolm Nance on Twitter:
And from The New York Times:
The secretary of the Navy (Richard V. Spencer) and the admiral who leads the SEALs (Rear Admiral Collin Green) have threatened to resign or be fired if plans to expel a commando from the elite unit in a war crimes case are halted by President Trump, administration officials said Saturday.
The high-level pushback to Mr. Trump’s unambiguous assertion on Twitter this past week that the commando, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, should remain in the unit was an extraordinary development in what was already an extraordinary case, one with few precedents in the history of presidential relations with the American military.
…
Chief Gallagher, who counts Mr. Trump as one of his most vocal supporters, was accused of shooting civilians, murdering a captive Islamic State fighter with a hunting knife in Iraq, and threatening to kill SEALs who reported him, among other misconduct. His court-martial ended in acquittal on those charges.
www.nytimes.com/…
Apparently, it was fellow Navy Seals who “dropped a dime” on Gallagher’s sadistic behavior in the Special Forces. Gallagher even threatened to kill the other SEALS who ratted him out.
Trump sure knows how to pick ‘em. He probably figures his base is sympathetic to Arab-hating, homicidal lunatics.
Bravo to Secretary Spencer and Rear Admiral Green for threatening to “throw down their anchors” if Trump gets his way. Gotta love Nance’s description: “it is official and lawful mutiny."
Update 1: Sunday 3:39pm EST:
Trump caved. From mtmofo in the comments:
Further update-Trump caves
The Navy has been notified that the White House will not intervene to stop a disciplinary proceeding that could cost a SEAL his position in the elite unit, a senior Navy official said Sunday.
Although President Donald Trump had tweeted on Thursday that he would not let the Navy remove Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher from the SEALs, the Navy was given White House guidance on Friday that it can proceed as planned, the Navy official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.