Acting Navy secretary offers to resign over handling of coronavirus crisis
"I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid," Modly said in an apology issued on Monday amid calls for his removal.
By REUTERSActing Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, testifies to the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing examining military housing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS/JOSHUA ROBERTS)
Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has offered his resignation after coming under fire for his handling of a crisis involving the captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, a US official and a congressional aide told Reuters on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.It was unclear whether Defense Secretary Mark Esper accepted Modly's resignation offer, which came after Democrats in Congress called for his removal, citing a loss of confidence.Esper's office and the Navy declined to commentUS House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Tuesday for Modly's removal, despite his apology for ridiculing the commander of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier."Sadly, Acting Secretary Modly's actions and words demonstrate his failure to prioritize the force protection of our troops," Pelosi said in a statement."I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid," Modly said in an apology issued on Monday amid calls for his removal, including from the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, a Democrat.The apology, which Modly also extended to the carrier's crew and Crozier's family, was a reversal from a statement the Navy's top civilian issued hours earlier that said: "I stand by every word I said."
