Navy Secretary Asked to Resign

“Defense Secretary Mark Esper demanded the resignation of the Navy secretary, Richard Spencer, declaring that he had lost “confidence” in the Navy’s top civilian leader after Mr. Spencer diverged from President Trump over the treatment of a member of the Navy SEALs at the center of a high-profile war crimes case,” the New York Times reports.

“In a statement, Mr. Esper said he had lost trust in Mr. Spencer because his private statements about the Navy SEAL case differed from what he advocated in public. But Defense Department officials said Mr. Spencer prompted the ire of Mr. Trump when he threatened to resign over the president’s handling of the case of the SEALs member, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, and publicly said he disagreed with the president’s handling of the matter.”