{"id":18454,"date":"2018-04-19T21:30:23","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T21:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/19\/bad-santa-case-could-have-been-handled-better-navys-top-officer-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:54:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:54:29","slug":"bad-santa-case-could-have-been-handled-better-navys-top-officer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/19\/bad-santa-case-could-have-been-handled-better-navys-top-officer-says\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Bad Santa\u2019 case could have been handled better, Navy\u2019s top officer says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Navy\u2019s top officer said Thursday that he regrets the message he sent to the fleet when he failed to promptly remove one of his spokesmen who was accused of sexual impropriety at a Navy Christmas party but allowed to stay on in the high-level position for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson\u2019s<\/a> comments came after he was questioned by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand<\/a> about how the boozy incident involving Richardson\u2019s former head spokesman, Cmdr. Chris Servello, had played out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dressed as Santa during a 2016 Pentagon<\/a> office Christmas party, Servello was accused by fellow officers and a civilian of unwanted sexual passes and slapping a woman\u2019s buttocks, according to a USA Today<\/a> report that broke the story in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An initial Navy inquiry recommended that Servello be removed from his post, but USA Today reported that Servello was not reassigned until a few weeks after the paper sought records of the incident and its investigation last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillibrand brought up Servello as Richardson testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had an issue with regard to bad Santa, as you know,\u201d the New York Democrat said to Richardson. \u201cDo you have a sense of what message members serving under you received from him being allowed to stay in that position, and have you changed your approach because of that incident?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richardson said the incident required a \u201cthorough investigation into a complicated scenario\u201d involving \u201callegations and counter-allegations,\u201d but that his \u201cradar has been completely retuned\u201d by the incident and its fallout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve become acutely aware that that may have sent a bad message, particularly to the survivors of the behaviors,\u201d Richardson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t