{"id":35751,"date":"2020-04-07T01:18:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T01:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/07\/modly-apologies-for-remarks-as-key-lawmakers-call-for-his-resignation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:53:54","slug":"modly-apologies-for-remarks-as-key-lawmakers-call-for-his-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/04\/07\/modly-apologies-for-remarks-as-key-lawmakers-call-for-his-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"Modly apologizes for remarks as key lawmakers call for his resignation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Less than 24 hours after flying to Guam and igniting a firestorm of public criticism, including from key members of Congress, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly issued a public apology Monday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, Modly flew out to Guam and addressed the crew of the carrier Theodore Roosevelt on his recent decision to relieve the commanding officer<\/a>, Capt. Brett Crozier, over a letter leaked<\/a> to the San Francisco Chronicle that urged the Navy to remove the bulk of the crew<\/a> off the ship as quickly as possible to avoid further spread of COVID-19 on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks to the crew, Modly said the issue had become a scandal in Washington and that if the CO didn\u2019t think his letter would leak he was either \u201ctoo stupid or too na\u00efve to be the commanding officer of a ship like this,\u201d adding that \u201cthe alternative is he did it on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late in the day, Modly issued a statement apologizing to Crozier and his family, saying he did not believe the captain was stupid or na\u00efve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to apologize to the Navy for my recent comments to the crew of the TR,\u201d Modly said. \u201cLet me be clear: I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is na\u00efve nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modly\u2019s late night apology is a clear about-face from earlier in the day, when the Navy issued a statement from Modly saying he stood by his comments but regretted any profanity he used, adding that \u201canyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In earlier statements explaining why he fired Crozier, Modly took issue with the fact that Crozier put out sensitive information about the readiness of the ship in an unclassified document and distributed it widely, raising the chances it would leak to the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, Modly\u2019s comments quickly leaked to the media, first in print and then in audio where sailors aboard the Roosevelt can be heard swearing in response to his statements.<\/p>\n\n\n