This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
US President Donald Trump has intervened in the high-profile case of Chief Edward Gallagher, reversing the Navy's decision to oust him from the SEALs. The move has sparked a public feud between the commander-in-chief and his senior Navy leaders.
According to Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, the Navy's chief of information, the service will comply with the president's order, despite initial plans to remove Gallagher from the SEALs. In a statement, Brown said, 'We will do so in case of an order to stop the administrative review of S.O.C. Gallagher's professional qualification. We are aware of the president's tweet and we are awaiting further guidance.'
The Navy's decision to start the process to oust Gallagher, along with three SEAL officers who supervised him in Iraq, was not made in haste, according to Navy and Defense Department officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The officials said that Admiral Green had discussed the matter with Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, and the Navy briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper about it.
However, the Navy had reached out to the White House for clearance multiple times before issuing formal notification letters to the four SEALs, but received no pushback. The mixed signals and reversed decisions are not uncommon in the White House, where rival aides with opposing views, and sometimes outside influences, jockey for the president's attention.
Chief Gallagher's lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, appeared on Fox News, framing the Navy action as one of defiance toward the president's decision last week to restore Gallagher's rank. Parlatore said, 'Monday morning, the admiral comes in and says, 'I disagree with the president, I'm going to take his Trident.' What he's doing here is really just an effort to publicly humiliate Chief Gallagher and stick it right in the president's eye.'
