{"id":18425,"date":"2019-11-20T02:33:21","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T02:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/20\/did-the-navys-top-seal-show-contempt-for-trump\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:48:21","slug":"did-the-navys-top-seal-show-contempt-for-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/11\/20\/did-the-navys-top-seal-show-contempt-for-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Did the Navy\u2019s top SEAL show contempt for Trump?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His pay grade <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/11\/16\/trump-grants-clemency-to-troops-in-three-controversial-war-crimes-cases\/\" target=_blank>restored by President Donald J. Trump<\/a> on Friday, Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward \u201cEddie\u201d Gallagher has filed an inspector general\u2019s complaint against the Navy\u2019s top SEAL, accusing him of uttering contemptuous statements about the commander in chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the works for four months, the move came hours before a Wednesday morning meeting with Naval Special Warfare superiors in California, who are expected to inform Gallagher that Naval Special Warfare commander <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/09\/25\/ig-complaint-pits-trump-decorated-operators-against-rear-admiral-who-fired-a-seal-team-triad\/\" target=_blank>Rear Adm. Collin Green<\/a> has convened a Trident Review Board on Dec. 2 to take the coveted SEAL qualification pin away from the special operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green seems to have mustered the support of his uniformed chain of command to administratively punish Gallagher, 40, even if it\u2019s perceived as defiant to the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, supports his commanders in executing their roles, to include Rear Adm. Green,&#8221; said Gilday\u2019s spokesman, Cmdr. Nate Christensen, in an email to Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cmdr. Sarah Higgins, spokesperson for Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, echoed that he also \u201csupports his commanders in executing their roles, to include Rear Adm. Green.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Declining to comment on the IG complaint filed against her command, Naval Special Warfare spokesperson Capt. Tamara Lawrence called allegations that Green uttered contemptuous words about the president \u201cpatently false.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on the documents provided to Navy Times, it remains unclear what, if any, comments were made by Green about the president. But a potential showdown between Trump and Green, his fellow admirals and their civilian overseer, Spencer, could set a bad precedent in civil-military affairs, Gallagher\u2019s legal team said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe president has spoken on the punishment of Eddie Gallagher,&#8221; said the SEAL\u2019s civilian attorney, Timothy Parlatore, a former surface warfare officer. &#8220;A two-star admiral should not be stepping in to substitute the judgment of his commander in chief. &#8220;This is a terrible precedent to send and the commander in chief should take swift and decisive action against Rear Adm. Green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As for those in his chain of command who appear to be supporting Green, there needs to be a wholesale change in leadership. If Navy leadership can\u2019t accept the commander in chief\u2019s guidance, then they all should leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a long tradition in the military. You don\u2019t rebel. You resign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/11\/16\/trump-grants-clemency-to-troops-in-three-controversial-war-crimes-cases\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_19319700510861.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump grants clemency to troops in three controversial war crimes cases<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">POTUS intervenes in the cases of two Army officers and a Navy SEAL.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gallagher apparently won\u2019t be the only SEAL facing administrative sanctions from the Coronado, California-based Green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Jacob X. \u201cJake\u201d Portier, the former officer in charge of Gallagher\u2019s Alpha Platoon, SEAL Team 7, and their team\u2019s former commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch, also have been informed they will meet with their superiors on Wednesday, attorneys told Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At issue is their alleged mishandling of war crimes allegations tied to Alpha Platoon\u2019s 2017 deployment to Iraq. Although a military panel of his peers acquitted Gallagher on a string of war crimes charges, including the murder of an Islamic State prisoner of war, he was found guilty of posing for a photo with the dead detainee\u2019s body alongside a dozen other servicemen who weren\u2019t punished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former chief of naval operations, Adm. John Richardson, withdrew<a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/08\/02\/navy-orders-probe-into-judge-advocate-general-corps-leaders\/\" target=_blank> charges against Portier on Aug. 1<\/a>, less than a month after Gallagher\u2019s case collapsed in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRear Adm. Green is undermining the office of the president of the United States,\u201d Portier\u2019s defense attorney, Jeremiah J. Sullivan III, told Navy Times. &#8220;Rear Adm. Green should be the first one to place his trident on the table and resign before he is fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFlag officers cannot challenge the president. It is an act of insubordination and a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sullivan also represents ex-SEAL Team 7 leader Cmdr. Edward J. Mason and Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Hugh C. Spangler, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/09\/25\/ig-complaint-pits-trump-decorated-operators-against-rear-admiral-who-fired-a-seal-team-triad\/\" target=_blank>who were fired by Green on Sept. 6<\/a>. They claim that they were relieved of duty in an effort by an embattled Green to save his career after the Gallagher case and other reports of problems at Naval Special Warfare roiled the Pentagon, Capitol Hill and the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IG investigators are probing that now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both the Gallagher and Portier cases were dogged by allegations of military corruption, reaching into the Navy Yard and Naval Special Warfare and triggering sanctions against the prosecution by judge Capt. Aaron Rugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of Rugh\u2019s punishment included booting Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak, the lead prosecutor in both cases, for his role in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/2019\/06\/04\/lead-navy-prosecutor-in-seal-war-crime-case-out-over-email-spying\/\">a warrantless surveillance program<\/a> cooked up with Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/13\/defense-attorneys-for-navy-seal-accused-of-war-crimes-say-prosecutors-spied-on-them\/\">to track emails sent by defense attorneys and Navy Times.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were accused of manipulating witness statements to NCIS agents; using immunity grants and a bogus \u201ctarget letter\u201d in a crude attempt to keep Breisch and other potential pro-Gallagher witnesses from testifying; illegally leaking documents to the media to taint the military jury pool; and then trying to cover it all up when they got caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IG complaint filed Tuesday evening lays out these and other alleged violations of Gallagher\u2019s constitutional rights before pointing to the actions of Green and Rear Adm. Charles Brown, the Chief of Naval Information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drafted by attorneys Parlatore and<a href=\"https:\/\/mfsllp.com\/attorneys\/marc-l-mukasey\/\" target=_blank> Marc Mukasey<\/a>, Gallagher\u2019s IG complaint terms a message sent by Brown in the wake of the president\u2019s announcement to restore SEAL\u2019s anchors as an \u201cundeniably contemptuous and snarky tweet.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs the Commander in Chief, the President has the authority to restore Special Warfare Operator First Class Gallagher to the pay grade of E-7. We acknowledge his order and are implementing it,\u201d Brown wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis tweet was universally received as being a passive aggressive statement of disagreement, but grudging acceptance,\u201d according to the complaint to IG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf any subordinate officer passed on orders from their superior in this fashion, he would be immediately fired \u2013 \u2018As the commander of this ship, the CO has the authority to order us to do maintenance on our equipment. We acknowledge his order and are implementing it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown disputed that, telling Navy Times in an email that it \u201cwas not a political statement, and the language it used was consistent with the White House statement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sailors and their retired shipmates online seemed to have read it differently, remarking on how Brown slurred Gallagher as a mere E-7, not a chief, with \u201cshade\u201d also falling on the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House officials referred Navy Times to the Pentagon for a statement about the growing controversy, but officials there did not return messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey violated Eddie\u2019s constitutional rights over and over again and we still beat the heck out of them in the courtroom,\u201d Mukasey told Navy Times late Tuesday. \u201cThis is their sore loser\u2019s revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/08\/23\/for-seals-its-back-to-regulation-haircuts-and-uniform-inspections\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lectern.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">For SEALs, it\u2019s back to regulation haircuts and uniform inspections<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Stung by a string of scandals, on Tuesday Naval Special Warfare commander Rear Adm. Collin Green issued a four-page \u201cback to basics\u201d directive designed to shore up shoddy conduct, restore moral accountability and create better leaders.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s something even \u201cmore sinister&#8221; that occurred in Coronado, the complaint alleges. It urges investigators to probe whether in a Monday morning staff meeting, Green \u201cmade clear his contempt of the President and disagreement with the President\u2019s decision, before declaring that he intended to remove SOC Gallagher\u2019s trident anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Gallagher and his legal team, the commander in chief\u2019s intent could not have been made more clearly to Green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore the prosecution of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward Gallagher, he had been selected for promotion to Senior Chief, awarded a Bronze Star with a &#8216;V&#8217; for valor, and assigned to an important position in the Navy as an instructor,\u201d read the White House release explaining why Trump intervened in Gallagher\u2019s case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThough ultimately acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he was stripped of these honors as he awaited his trial and its outcome. Given his service to our Nation, a promotion back to the rank and pay grade of Chief Petty Officer is justified.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IG complaint stated it was &#8220;incomprehensible to understand how, given the Commander in Chief\u2019s clear guidance that he felt the punishment was too severe for such a minor offense, how (Green) thinks it is appropriate to countermand this and increase the punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Moreover, no flag officer should ever be speaking contemptuously of the Commander in Chief in front of his subordinates,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with Green, the complaint also takes aim at ex-Naval Special Warfare Group 1 commodore Capt. Matthew D. Rosenbloom, who allegedly \u201cused his authority to attempt to influence the outcome of this case by intentionally hampering SOC Gallagher\u2019s ability to assist in his own defense, to include tainting witnesses and threatening SOC Gallagher\u2019s supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although a military jury acquitted Gallagher, Green \u201cseems unable to respect the constitutional principles that they have sworn to uphold in their vendetta against SOC Gallagher,\u201d the IG complaint alleged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt seems like the obvious question here is, \u2018Why?\u2019 Why is (Naval Special Warfare) obsessed with punishing SOC Gallagher even though he has already suffered unjust punishment? Why is NSW seeking retribution against SOC Gallagher when it should be looking inward at its own organization? The answer is simple: It is easier to cast out SOC Gallagher and blame POTUS for his intervention than it is to correct an internal leadership problem,\u201d the complaint stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read the full IG complaint <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/static.militarytimes.com\/assets\/pdfs\/1574217048.pdf\" target=_blank>here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Navy Times editor\u2019s note: <\/b>This story has been updated to show that the Trident Review Board for Gallagher has been scheduled for Dec. 2, according to his attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As the Commander in Chief, the President has the authority to restore Special Warfare Operator First Class Gallagher to the pay grade of E-7. We acknowledge his order and are implementing it.<\/p>&mdash; Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chinfo\/status\/1195500836673196033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 16, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A complaint filed with the Pentagon urges federal watchdogs to probe allegations leveled against Naval Special Warfare&#8217;s two-star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":40679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,23,88,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3017],"class_list":["post-18425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Z5H455SXPBA3LMITHRXUMY56FI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/11\/20\/did-the-navys-top-seal-show-contempt-for-trump\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Did the Navy\u2019s top SEAL show contempt for Trump? - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A complaint filed with the Pentagon urges federal watchdogs to probe allegations leveled against Naval Special Warfare&#039;s two-star.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did the Navy\u2019s top SEAL show contempt for Trump?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A complaint filed with the Pentagon urges federal watchdogs to probe allegations leveled against Naval Special Warfare&#039;s two-star.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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