Navy's coronavirus clash splashes up on Trump administration

Capt. Brett Crozier, then commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, on Jan. 17. Credit: DVIDS via EPA / Seaman Apprentice Kaylianna Geni
Only a few months ago, President Donald Trump used his power to intervene on behalf of U.S. Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who'd been convicted of posing with the corpse of a teenage Islamic State captive he'd just stabbed to death.
The case led indirectly to Richard V. Spencer's termination in November as Trump's Navy secretary, based on irregularities in his handling of the process. Ultimately, Gallagher's demotion from the Seals, and his conviction, were voided.
Another politically charged case — involving a Navy captain fired by Spencer's acting successor, Thomas Modly — is generating debate amid the coronavirus crisis.
Capt. Brett Crozier was ousted Thursday as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after his written pleas to his superiors, asking them to protect his crew from the spreading virus on board, were leaked to the news media.
Hundreds aboard the carrier, docked in Guam, chanted Crozier's name in a show of support as he departed, as shown in a crew member's video posted on Facebook.
Modly said Crozier was relieved of his duties for sending the "nonsecure unclassified email" to a "broad array of people," rather than up the chain of command.
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee issued a joint statement in support of Crozier, calling the quick firing an "overreaction." The leaked Crozier missive said: "We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die."
At his coronavirus briefing Thursday, Trump was asked if Crozier was fired for calling attention to the plight of the infected crew. “I don’t agree with that at all,” Trump replied. “Not even a little bit.”
Relatives of sailors who were on the Roosevelt expressed anger and doubt about the firing in published interviews.
About half of the 5,000-member crew have been tested, with 155 positive for coronavirus, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Sunday talk shows.
The front-runner for the Democratic nomination, ex-Vice President Joe Biden, tweeted: “Captain Crozier was faithful to his duty — both to his sailors and his country. Navy leadership sent a chilling message about speaking truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Admin, not a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors.”
Trump seems to keep stirring up Navy-related storms.
Last May, a memo revealed that the White House wanted the USS John S. McCain "out of sight" during Trump's visit to Japan. The ship was named after both the father and grandfather of the late Sen. John McCain, who Trump has derided even after his death.
Navy officials expressed surprise in response to the memo. But the McCain name was kept hidden before and during a ceremony in Yokohama. Trump said he had had no prior knowledge of the petty name cover-up.
Separately, the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship, last week stood in New York Harbor as a symbol of the administration's halting coronavirus response.
On Friday, four days after its ballyhooed arrival for noncoronavirus patients, the Comfort was treating only 22, despite a 1,000-bed capacity.