Navy secretary forced out over SEAL controversy

At the request of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer submitted his resignation on Sunday.

Spencer was ousted over the way he handled the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL accused of committing war crimes in Iraq in 2017. Earlier this year, Gallagher was acquitted of murder but convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State militant. He was demoted in rank to a 1st class petty officer, but President Trump intervened and restored his rank to chief petty officer on Nov. 15.

A review board was scheduled for December to determine whether Gallagher could stay on as a Navy SEAL, and Esper accused Spencer of trying to privately arrange a deal with White House officials that would allow Gallagher to retire as a Navy SEAL, without losing his status. Because of this, Esper "lost confidence" in Spencer. Trump tweeted that he will nominate Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired Navy rear admiral and the U.S. ambassador to Norway, to replace Spencer.

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In an announcement that further complicates the matter, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman also said on Sunday that Esper is allowing Gallagher to retire at the end of the month as a SEAL with his current rank. Because of this, Gallagher's review board has been canceled.