US Navy may expel SEAL, defying Trump

The secretary of the Navy and the admiral who leads the SEALs 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 Donald Trump, administration officials said Saturday.

The Navy is proceeding with the disciplinary plans against the commando, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who counts Trump as one of his most vocal supporters. After reversing a demotion in recent days, the president suggested on Thursday that he would intervene again in the case, saying that the sailor should remain in the unit.

The threats by the Navy secretary, Richard Spencer, and the commander, Rear Adm. Collin Green, are a rare instance of pushback against Trump from members of the Defense Department. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, scrambled to come up with a face-saving compromise this past week in the hope that Trump could be persuaded to change his mind.

On Thursday, Trump, referring to the pin that signifies membership in an elite force, said on Twitter that “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin.” He added: “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!”

One argument that officials said may be relied on is the assumption that a tweet does not constitute a formal presidential order. Esper and Milley conveyed to the president that if he followed up that tweet with a direct order, there would be huge consequences: Trump would lose Spencer and Green, further infuriate his top military leadership and do untold damage to decades of military justice doctrine, according to administration officials.

Administration officials said they now hoped that Trump would allow the proceedings to continue, but it is unclear whether the president will do so.

Gallagher 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.

But the Navy ultimately demoted the chief, who was convicted of one charge: bringing discredit to the armed forces by posing for photos with the teenage captive’s dead body.

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