US Navy SEAL case leads to Navy secretary’s dismissal

This appeared in The Millennial Source

On Sunday, November 24, U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was ousted for his handling of court-martialed U.S. Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s case. In September this year, Gallagher was demoted for his involvement in criminal activities while serving in Iraq, but in November, President Donald Trump intervened to restore the SEAL’s rank.

Spencer’s handling of the case earned the ire of both President Trump and his direct superior, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

Who is Eddie Gallagher?

Special Operations Chief Eddie Gallagher was convicted of war crimes for posing with a dead 15-year-old Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter in a photo that was sent by text. Gallagher was also accused of the premeditated murder of the ISIS combatant who was being held in captivity. However, he was acquitted of that charge as there was no physical evidence of the murder. Gallagher, who had served for 19 years in the Navy, was demoted to petty officer first class as a result of his conviction and was to be stripped of his SEAL Trident pin that designates him as a Navy SEAL.

On November 15, President Trump intervened to restore Gallagher’s rank and publicly stated Gallagher should…