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Navy leader Richard Spencer was fired for refusing to reinstate a soldier accused of war crimes despite Donald Trump's demands.
With our correspondent in San Francisco, Éric de Salves
We know more about the reasons for the very unusual dismissal of the Secretary of the Navy, the chief of the US Navy, by the Minister of Defense this Sunday, November 24. In his letter of departure Richard Spencer explained this weekend to disagree with Donald Trump on the fate of Eddie Gallagher, an American soldier accused of war crimes in Iraq.
Donald Trump was asking the Pentagon to maintain his position in the special forces of the Navy, which Richard Spencer refused. On Monday Defense Minister Mark Esper confirmed that he has asked for the departure of the Navy leader for opposing the president's wishes. It is therefore a new illustration of the tensions between Donald Trump and the leaders of his army.
Private Eddie Gallagher, commander of the Marine Commandos, is accused of war crimes in Iraq, killing civilians and eliminating jihadists with a hunting knife. He was even sentenced for posing on a photo in front of the body of a fighter of the Islamic State, but Gallagher was later pardoned by Donald Trump.
Trump's personal intervention
Since then, the US president asked, especially on Twitter this week, his reinstatement pure and simple within his elite commando. Defense Minister Mark Esper agreed, but Navy Chief Richard Spencer refused to " totally exonerate Gallagher in the name of his conscience, " he said in his resignation letter.
According to the Pentagon, Richard Spencer has even tried to negotiate with the White House against the advice of his leaders and Trump to get this soldier before a disciplinary commission and gently push him to retirement. The navy wanted to exclude this soldier from his commandos but it is finally his chief who resigns.
On Monday the defense minister confirms that it was this secret negotiation attempt that pushed him to dismiss him " after losing confidence in him ". Mark Esper also announces that he had a long telephone conversation on Sunday with Donald Trump who gave him the formal order to keep the soldier in his position. Despite these accusations of war crimes, Gallagher will be reinstated in the US special forces.