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| Trump Reverses Navy Decision to Oust Edward Gallagher From SEALs | Trump Reverses Navy Decision to Oust Edward Gallagher From SEALs |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Anyone in the Navy can spot a SEAL by the gold insignia pinned to his chest: an eagle on an anchor, clutching a flintlock pistol and a trident. It is the badge of an elite band of warriors, one of the most revered in the military. | Anyone in the Navy can spot a SEAL by the gold insignia pinned to his chest: an eagle on an anchor, clutching a flintlock pistol and a trident. It is the badge of an elite band of warriors, one of the most revered in the military. |
| The pin, known as the Trident, represents the grit of sailors who made it through some of the toughest training in the Navy, and are given some of the riskiest missions. It stands for fidelity and sacrifice. Even in death, the pin plays a role: SEALs pound their pins into the wood of fallen comrades’ caskets. | The pin, known as the Trident, represents the grit of sailors who made it through some of the toughest training in the Navy, and are given some of the riskiest missions. It stands for fidelity and sacrifice. Even in death, the pin plays a role: SEALs pound their pins into the wood of fallen comrades’ caskets. |
| This week, the Trident became a symbol of defiance. | This week, the Trident became a symbol of defiance. |
| Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher wore his pin when he reported to work on Thursday at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego. But that pin, and Chief Gallagher’s 14-year SEAL career, had become the focus of an epic clash between President Trump and the Navy. | Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher wore his pin when he reported to work on Thursday at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego. But that pin, and Chief Gallagher’s 14-year SEAL career, had become the focus of an epic clash between President Trump and the Navy. |
| Mr. Trump said in a Twitter post on Thursday that he would be personally intervening in a disciplinary proceeding, to ensure that the chief keeps his Trident pin — an exceedingly rare step by a president that undercut the authority of the SEALs leadership. | Mr. Trump said in a Twitter post on Thursday that he would be personally intervening in a disciplinary proceeding, to ensure that the chief keeps his Trident pin — an exceedingly rare step by a president that undercut the authority of the SEALs leadership. |
| The elite force has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years, and the most prominent has been a war crimes prosecution centered on Chief Gallagher’s 2017 deployment in Iraq. SEALs in his platoon told commanders and Navy investigators that they saw him shoot civilians and murder a wounded captive with a hunting knife, among other misconduct. | The elite force has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years, and the most prominent has been a war crimes prosecution centered on Chief Gallagher’s 2017 deployment in Iraq. SEALs in his platoon told commanders and Navy investigators that they saw him shoot civilians and murder a wounded captive with a hunting knife, among other misconduct. |
| When the Navy prosecuted Chief Gallagher, however, conservative lawmakers and media outlets took up his cause, and Mr. Trump intervened several times in his favor. When the chief’s court-martial ended in acquittal on most charges, Mr. Trump congratulated him and lambasted the prosecutors. After the Navy demoted Chief Gallagher for the one relatively minor charge on which he was convicted, Mr. Trump reversed the demotion. | When the Navy prosecuted Chief Gallagher, however, conservative lawmakers and media outlets took up his cause, and Mr. Trump intervened several times in his favor. When the chief’s court-martial ended in acquittal on most charges, Mr. Trump congratulated him and lambasted the prosecutors. After the Navy demoted Chief Gallagher for the one relatively minor charge on which he was convicted, Mr. Trump reversed the demotion. |
| This week, the commander of Naval Special Warfare, Rear Adm. Collin Green, played his final card in the case by starting the formal process of taking away Chief Gallagher’s Trident pin and expelling him from the SEALs. But Mr. Trump countermanded the move. “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!” | This week, the commander of Naval Special Warfare, Rear Adm. Collin Green, played his final card in the case by starting the formal process of taking away Chief Gallagher’s Trident pin and expelling him from the SEALs. But Mr. Trump countermanded the move. “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Get back to business!” |
| An Instagram account belonging to Chief Gallagher and his wife soon reposted the message with the comment “Boom” and a series of explosion, flag and applause emojis. | An Instagram account belonging to Chief Gallagher and his wife soon reposted the message with the comment “Boom” and a series of explosion, flag and applause emojis. |
| “The Navy follows the lawful orders of the president,” Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, the Navy’s chief of information, said in a statement on Thursday evening. Using an abbreviation for the chief’s rank and status, the admiral wrote, “We will do so in case of an order to stop the administrative review of S.O.C. Gallagher’s professional qualification. We are aware of the president’s tweet and we are awaiting further guidance.” | |
| The whipsaw reversal, after the Navy believed it had official approval to act, is the latest twist in the unusually public melee over Chief Gallagher, which has exposed a struggle in the SEALs to rein in rogue operators, while at the same time pitting the commander in chief directly against his senior Navy leaders | The whipsaw reversal, after the Navy believed it had official approval to act, is the latest twist in the unusually public melee over Chief Gallagher, which has exposed a struggle in the SEALs to rein in rogue operators, while at the same time pitting the commander in chief directly against his senior Navy leaders |
| The Navy’s decision to start the process to oust Chief Gallagher, along with three SEAL officers who supervised him in Iraq, was not made in haste, according to Navy and Defense Department officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Admiral Green had discussed the matter with Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, and the Navy briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper about it. | The Navy’s decision to start the process to oust Chief Gallagher, along with three SEAL officers who supervised him in Iraq, was not made in haste, according to Navy and Defense Department officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Admiral Green had discussed the matter with Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, and the Navy briefed Defense Secretary Mark Esper about it. |
| In the hours before Admiral Green issued formal notification letters to the four SEALs, two of the officials said, the Navy had reached out to the White House for clearance multiple times and had not received any pushback. They did not specify which White House officials were contacted. | In the hours before Admiral Green issued formal notification letters to the four SEALs, two of the officials said, the Navy had reached out to the White House for clearance multiple times and had not received any pushback. They did not specify which White House officials were contacted. |
| But mixed signals and reversed decisions are not uncommon in the White House, where rival aides with opposing views, and sometimes outside influences, jockey for the president’s attention. | But mixed signals and reversed decisions are not uncommon in the White House, where rival aides with opposing views, and sometimes outside influences, jockey for the president’s attention. |
| The president announced the reversal shortly after Chief Gallagher’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, appeared on Fox News, framing the Navy action as one of defiance toward the president’s decision last week to restore Chief Gallagher’s rank. | The president announced the reversal shortly after Chief Gallagher’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, appeared on Fox News, framing the Navy action as one of defiance toward the president’s decision last week to restore Chief Gallagher’s rank. |
| “Monday morning, the admiral comes in and says, ‘I disagree with the president, I’m going to take his Trident,’” Mr. Parlatore said. “What he’s doing here is really just an effort to publicly humiliate Chief Gallagher and stick it right in the president’s eye.” | “Monday morning, the admiral comes in and says, ‘I disagree with the president, I’m going to take his Trident,’” Mr. Parlatore said. “What he’s doing here is really just an effort to publicly humiliate Chief Gallagher and stick it right in the president’s eye.” |
| Chief Gallagher, 40, earned his Trident in 2005 after graduating from the Navy’s punishing Basic Underwater Demolition course. He deployed with the SEALs five times, eventually becoming a platoon chief, and was repeatedly decorated for valor. He developed a reputation as an accomplished, battle-wise veteran. | Chief Gallagher, 40, earned his Trident in 2005 after graduating from the Navy’s punishing Basic Underwater Demolition course. He deployed with the SEALs five times, eventually becoming a platoon chief, and was repeatedly decorated for valor. He developed a reputation as an accomplished, battle-wise veteran. |
| But the SEALs serving under him on the 2017 deployment told Navy investigators afterward that they came to see him differently, as a warrior who seemed more interested in killing than in leading, and who did not mind breaking the rules. And they said the chief’s immediate superiors seemed more inclined to look the other way than to rein him in. | But the SEALs serving under him on the 2017 deployment told Navy investigators afterward that they came to see him differently, as a warrior who seemed more interested in killing than in leading, and who did not mind breaking the rules. And they said the chief’s immediate superiors seemed more inclined to look the other way than to rein him in. |
| The Navy moved this week to start the process of taking Tridents from three of those officers: Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch and Lt. Jacob Portier, who were implicated in not promptly reporting the allegations against Chief Gallagher, and Lt. Thomas MacNeil, who posed in a trophy photo with the chief and the corpse of a captive. Posing for that photo was the basis of the one charge on which the chief was convicted at trial. | The Navy moved this week to start the process of taking Tridents from three of those officers: Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch and Lt. Jacob Portier, who were implicated in not promptly reporting the allegations against Chief Gallagher, and Lt. Thomas MacNeil, who posed in a trophy photo with the chief and the corpse of a captive. Posing for that photo was the basis of the one charge on which the chief was convicted at trial. |
| Mr. Trump made no mention of the three officers in his Twitter message on Thursday. The Navy later said it had paused all four Trident reviews while awaiting orders. | Mr. Trump made no mention of the three officers in his Twitter message on Thursday. The Navy later said it had paused all four Trident reviews while awaiting orders. |
| Sailors stripped of their Tridents become pariahs, several SEALs said. Their careers are effectively over, and they are cast out of the SEAL community, officially marked as undeserving of the title that they worked hard to earn. | Sailors stripped of their Tridents become pariahs, several SEALs said. Their careers are effectively over, and they are cast out of the SEAL community, officially marked as undeserving of the title that they worked hard to earn. |
| Mr. Trump has had what people close to him described as a natural affinity for Chief Gallagher, seeing him as a military figure who was caught up in what Mr. Trump sees as the unpleasantness of war, but who had not intended to commit crimes. | Mr. Trump has had what people close to him described as a natural affinity for Chief Gallagher, seeing him as a military figure who was caught up in what Mr. Trump sees as the unpleasantness of war, but who had not intended to commit crimes. |
| As commander in chief, the president has authority to intervene in military matters of all kinds, whether momentous or minute, experts say, but most presidents have given deference to the judgment of top officers. | As commander in chief, the president has authority to intervene in military matters of all kinds, whether momentous or minute, experts say, but most presidents have given deference to the judgment of top officers. |
| “I’m hard pressed to think of a time when the president reached this far down into the underbrush of military personnel issues,” said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School. | “I’m hard pressed to think of a time when the president reached this far down into the underbrush of military personnel issues,” said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School. |
| Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that by reversing the admiral’s action, Mr. Trump had done “a real disservice to our troops.” | Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that by reversing the admiral’s action, Mr. Trump had done “a real disservice to our troops.” |
| Scott Taylor, a Republican and retired Navy SEAL running for Senate in Virginia, urged the Navy to drop the Gallagher matter. Though the SEALs have “had recent challenges in discipline, and there is needed corrective action,” he said, “this particular case was deeply flawed from the beginning.” Presidents have butted heads with senior commanders before over personnel matters. John F. Kennedy intervened to stop the punishment of an Army Reserve soldier who was court-martialed for bad-mouthing him. Abraham Lincoln infuriated some of his generals by regularly combing through court-martial orders for Union troops who were charged with desertion and other crimes and scrawling impromptu one-line orders for leniency, like “Let him fight instead of being shot.” | Scott Taylor, a Republican and retired Navy SEAL running for Senate in Virginia, urged the Navy to drop the Gallagher matter. Though the SEALs have “had recent challenges in discipline, and there is needed corrective action,” he said, “this particular case was deeply flawed from the beginning.” Presidents have butted heads with senior commanders before over personnel matters. John F. Kennedy intervened to stop the punishment of an Army Reserve soldier who was court-martialed for bad-mouthing him. Abraham Lincoln infuriated some of his generals by regularly combing through court-martial orders for Union troops who were charged with desertion and other crimes and scrawling impromptu one-line orders for leniency, like “Let him fight instead of being shot.” |
| Experts say the constitutional arrangement of civilian control over the military can become strained when a president disregards the counsel of generals and admirals, or never seeks it in the first place. | Experts say the constitutional arrangement of civilian control over the military can become strained when a president disregards the counsel of generals and admirals, or never seeks it in the first place. |
| “The president clearly has the authority, but historically the president and military leaders have communicated back and forth, coming to a mutual understanding,” said Thomas Bruneau, who has taught classes on national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. “To take precipitous action and override a senior officer is almost unheard-of.” | “The president clearly has the authority, but historically the president and military leaders have communicated back and forth, coming to a mutual understanding,” said Thomas Bruneau, who has taught classes on national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. “To take precipitous action and override a senior officer is almost unheard-of.” |
| Still unknown is the impact that being publicly countermanded by Mr. Trump will have on Admiral Green, the commander who set the process of revoking Chief Gallagher’s Trident in motion. | Still unknown is the impact that being publicly countermanded by Mr. Trump will have on Admiral Green, the commander who set the process of revoking Chief Gallagher’s Trident in motion. |
| Defense Department and Navy officials said that when Admiral Green discussed his plans with top Navy leaders, he acknowledged that the action could be opposed by Mr. Trump and might end the admiral’s career. | Defense Department and Navy officials said that when Admiral Green discussed his plans with top Navy leaders, he acknowledged that the action could be opposed by Mr. Trump and might end the admiral’s career. |
| Navy Special Warfare did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Admiral Green. | Navy Special Warfare did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Admiral Green. |
| In an interview, Chief Gallagher’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said the admiral had to choose one of three courses of action: “Comply with the order and continue on; comply with the order and resign; or disregard the order and go to jail.” | In an interview, Chief Gallagher’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said the admiral had to choose one of three courses of action: “Comply with the order and continue on; comply with the order and resign; or disregard the order and go to jail.” |
| Peter Feaver, a professor of political science at Duke University, said American military officers almost never resign in protest over disagreements with civilian leaders. | Peter Feaver, a professor of political science at Duke University, said American military officers almost never resign in protest over disagreements with civilian leaders. |
| “It is seen as undermining civilian control by creating a political conflict and weakening public confidence,” he said. “Officers are supposed to serve, even if they might not agree.” | “It is seen as undermining civilian control by creating a political conflict and weakening public confidence,” he said. “Officers are supposed to serve, even if they might not agree.” |
| Maggie Haberman, John Ismay and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. | Maggie Haberman, John Ismay and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting. |