Thomas Modly Out!

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly is fired out the cannon shortly after he made inappropriate remarks about an ailing captain who Trump ousted a week ago.

The Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly is fired out the cannon. He just came in shortly after Donald J. Trump ousted Richard V. Spencer late last year.

Modly was forced out on Tuesday as pressure mounted against him and Trump.

Modly made inappropriate comments about ousted USS Theodore Roosevelt captain Brett Crozier.

Crozier had released a memo to the Pentagon calling for assistance. He was asking for medical assistance for the coronavirus. It's affecting many of his sailors. Even Crozier caught the coronavirus.

Crozier was forced out as the captain after the memo got leaked to the junk food media. He was forced to dock at the U.S. territory of Guam. Crozier was given a rousing applause once he left the ship.

Trump during his presser said that Crozier was "wrong" for the memo being leaked to the press. He said that he placed Crozier in the "USS Teddy Roosevelt, one of the biggest nuclear ships ever."

The embattled Navy Secretary submitted his letter of resignation to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday after a one-on-one meeting.

The letter was accepted. Acting Undersecretary of the Army, James McPherson has been tapped by the Pentagon as the acting Navy Secretary.

Lawmakers criticized Modly's remarks. He even earned a "shut the fuck up" comment from one of the sailors who heard his speech.

The audio of that address was leaked to media outlets and the uproar over Modly's remarks -- calling Crozier "too naive or too stupid" to be in command of the aircraft carrier and saying that going outside of the chain-of-command with his memo represented a "betrayal" -- quickly made his position untenable.

In his resignation letter, Modly did not mention the controversy.

"More than anything, I owe every member of the Navy and Marine Corps team a lifetime of gratitude for the opportunity to serve for them, and with them, once again. They are the reason why I will forever remain inspired by the call of service. They are the ones who lift our nation, heal our divides, and make this country the greatest in the history of the world," Modly wrote.

"That is why with a heavy heart, I hereby submit my resignation, effective immediately. The men and women of the Department of the Navy deserve a continuity of civilian leadership befitting our great Republic, and the decisive naval force that secures our way of life. I will be forever grateful for my opportunity, and the blessing, to be part of it."

Captain Brett Cozier.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a letter that he accepted Modly's resignation Tuesday morning, confirming CNN's earlier reporting that Modly had resigned.\

"He resigned of his own accord, putting the Navy and Sailors above self so that the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the Navy, as an institution, can move forward," Esper wrote. "His care for the Sailors was genuine. Secretary Modly served the nation for many years, both in and out of uniform. I have the deepest respect for anyone who serves our country, and who places the greater good above all else. Secretary Modly did that today, and i wish him all the best."

Officials at the Pentagon are split about whether Crozier should have been relieved, but most feel the situation was badly handled and is now causing additional problems at an already difficult time.
At a Monday briefing, Trump was asked about Modly's comments.

"I haven't heard it exactly, I heard they heard," Trump said, referring to the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. "I heard they had a statement that was made, if that were the statement, it's a strong statement."

"The letters shouldn't have been sent, and certainly they shouldn't have been leaked," Trump said of Crozier's memo. "I've heard very good things about the gentlemen. Both gentlemen, by the way, I will say this, about both gentlemen. And I may look into it from the standpoint of something should be resolved because I'm hearing good things about both people."

Trump added that he "may just get involved."

Shortly afterward, Modly moved into damage control mode, but his apology still insinuated that Crozier had deliberately leaked the memo himself.

"I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship. I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused," he said.

Modly also apologized directly to Crozier for "any pain my remarks may have caused."

"(Crozier and his family), and the entire Navy, have my full commitment that I will continue to help get the TR back to full health and back to sea where we can move forward beyond this unfortunate situation," he said.