>>> WE GOT AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF AUDIO LEAKED FROM MODLY.
HE’S ONLY THERE BECAUSE THE
PREVIOUS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY,
YOU MAY RECALL, RESIGNED QUITE
PUBLICLY AFTER CLASHING WITH THE
PRESIDENT OVER THE PRESIDENT’S
PARDONING OF WAR CRIMINALS BACK
IN NOVEMBER.
IN NOVEMBER. SO THE GUY WHO REPLACED HIM THIS
ACTING SECRETARY APPARENTLY HAD
NO PROBLEM WITH THE PARDONING OF
WAR CRIMINALS AND SO HE GOT THE
JOB.
JOB. WELL, TODAY, THE ACTING
SECRETARY WAS ON THE "USS
THEODORE ROOSEVELT" THAT OF
CURSE IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER
CURRENTLY DOCKED IN GUAM THAT
HAS AN OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS,
AN OUTBREAK ESSENTIALLY IGNORED
BY NAVY HIRE UPS UNTIL THE
CAPTAIN OF THAT SHIP BRETT
CROZIER RISKED HIS CAREER LAST
WEEK.
WEEK. HE WAS RELIEVED FOR IN
INSUBORDINATION BUT HIS ENTIRE
SHIP MADE THEIR ACCEPT PORT FOR
HIS
HIS -- SUPPORT FOR HIS ACTIONS
CLEAR AS THEY CHEERED HIM OFF.
HE TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE
CORONAVIRUS HIMSELF.
CORONAVIRUS HIMSELF. SECRETARY MODLY ADDRESSED THE
ENTIRE CREW IN GUAM AND LISTEN
TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY ABOUT
CAPTAIN CROZIER.
CAPTAIN CROZIER. >> HE DIDN’T THINK THAT
INFORMATION WOULD GET OUT TO THE
PUBLIC, IN THIS INFORMATION AGE
WE LIVE IN THAT HE A, TOO NAIVE
OR TOO STUPID TO BE THE
COMMANDING OFFICER OF A SHIP
LIKE THIS.
LIKE THIS. THE ODDS ARE OF IT HE DID IT ON
PURPOSE AND THAT’S A SERIOUS
VIOLATION OF THE UNIFORM
MILITARY JUSTICE, WHICH YOU’RE
ALL FAMILIAR WITH.
>> BY THE WAY YOU DID HEAR THAT
CORRECTLY.
CORRECTLY. THAT IS A SAILOR ON THAT SHIP
REACTING TO THOSE COMMENTS BY
SAYING WHAT’S F.
THE COMMENTS HAVE CAUSED
ENORMOUS BLOW BACK AND
CONTROVERSY AROUND THE NATION.
I’M JOINED BY DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSWOMAN OF VIRGINIA A
RETIRED NAVY COMMANDER HERSELF.
TODAY SHE CALLED ON THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE TO FIRE THE
ACTING SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
FROM MAKING THOSE COMMENTS
TODAY.
TODAY. CONGRESS WOMAN, WHAT SO
DISTURBED YOU ABOUT THOSE
COMMENTS YOU WOULD CALL FOR HIM
TO BE FIRED?
>> WELL, EARLY THIS MORNING WHEN
I FIRST SAW THESE ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, MY HUSBAND SHOWED THEM TO
ME AND I SAID YOU GOT TO BE
KIDDING ME.
KIDDING ME. I THOUGHT THIS WAS LITERALLY
SOMETHING FROM THE ONION THAT HE
COULD NOT HAVE FLOWN HALF WAY
AROUND THE WORLD TO VISIT THE
AIRCRAFT CARRIER, SPEAK OVER THE
ANNOUNCING SYSTEM ON THE SHIP
AND BARTALK ABOUT THE MAN HE JUS
FIRED.
FIRED. WE SAW THE CREW MUCH LOVED
CAPTAIN CROZIER IN A DIFFICULT
TIME GOING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
WHERE THE CREW IS AT RISK, HE
PUT HIMSELF ON THE LINE TO MAKE
SURE THE CREW GOT WHAT THEY
NEEDED TO STAY SAFE AND THE
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FLYING
FORWARD TO DO THAT HAS SO MANY
FAR-REACHING EFFECTS NOT ONLY ON
THE CREW OF THE "THEODORE
ROOSEVELT" BUT I HEARD FROM
DOZENS OF MY FORMER COLLEAGUES.
THE PEOPLE I SERVED WITH
GRADUATED FROM THE NAVAL ACADEMY
WITH ARE GOING TO THEIR SECOND
AND THIRD SEQUENTIAL COMMANDS
MUCH LIKE CAPTAIN CROZIER AND
HEARING FROM THESE PEOPLE THAT
LOYALTY GOES UP AND DOWN THE
CHAIN OF COMMAND AND THEY ARE
QUESTIONING WHY SHOULD THEY GO
OUT THERE?
OUT THERE? WHY SHOULD THEY GO OUT THERE AND
BE IN ROLES OF LEADERSHIP WHEN
THE LEADERS AT THE TOP ARE NOT
BEHIND THEM WHEN THEY HAVE TO
MAKE TOP DECISIONS?
>> YOU JUST NOTED SOMETHING
THAT’S WORTH JUST SORT OF
POINTING OUT TO PEOPLE, WHICH IS
THAT THE ACTING SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY FLUE IN THE MIDST OF THE
PANDEMIC, FLUE 8,000 MILES TO
THE SHIP IN GUAM TO DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE IN PERSON WHICH ITSELF
IS SORT OF SHOCKING AND STUNNING
ACTION GIVEN EVERYTHING GOING
ON.
ON. >> YOU’RE CORRECT.
IT IS SHOCKING AND GUAM IS NOT
AN EASY PLACE TO GET TO AND THIS
TOOK UP A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF
HIS TIME TO GO THERE AND IN
PERSON MAKE THESE DISPARAGING
REMARKS OF THE CAPTAIN OF THE
SHIP WHO WAS MUCH BELOVED AND
PUT HIMSELF OUT THERE FOR THIS
CREW AND I’M NOT HERE TO DEFEND
THE WAY IN WHICH THE LETTER WAS
SENT OUT AND THOSE ACTIONS BUT
WE’RE BEYOND THAT AT THIS POINT,
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT CREW NEEDS
REASSURING WORDS FROM THEIR
LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP OF THE
NAVY ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE
NEXT COMMANDING OFFICER THAT
WILL SERVE THERE AND TAKE
CAPTAIN CROZIER’S PLACE.
ANY NEW COMMANDING OFFICER
COMING INTO A SHIP, IT’S HARD TO
COME IN BEHIND SOMEONE AND BUILD
THAT TRUST AND CONFIDENCE OF THE
CREW.
CREW. THE CREW OF THE "THEODORE
ROOSEVELT" IT WILL BE DIFFICULT
FOR THE NEXT COMMANDING OFFICER
TO COME BEHIND HIM AND DIFFICULT
FOR ALL THE OFFICERS IN THESE
ROLES OF RESPONSIBILITY TO TRUST
THE CHAIN OF COMMAND TO HAVE
THEIR BACK WHEN THEY HAVE TO
MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS.
>> THE PRESIDENT TODAY SAID THAT
THE LETTER IS BAD BECAUSE IT
SHOWED WEAKNESS AND WE DON’T
LIKE WEAKNESS AND THE ACTING
SECRETARY SAID THIS, I DIDN’T
WANT TO GET INTO A DECISION
WHERE THE PRESIDENT WOULD FEEL
HE HAD TO INTERVENE BECAUSE THE
NAVY COULDN’T BE DECISIVE.
IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT AND SAW
A COMMANDING OFFICER OF A SHIP
EXERCISING POOR JUDGMENT, I
WOULD BE ASKING WHY THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE NAVY ISN’T
TAKING LEADERSHIP.
TAKING LEADERSHIP. THE PRESIDENT VOWING TO GET
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. WHAT DO YOU MAKE HE WAS TRYING
TO STOP THE PRESIDENT FROM DOING
SOMETHING?
SOMETHING? >> I SAW THAT REPORTING, AS
WELL.
WELL. I THINK IT’S VERY IRONIC BECAUSE
ALL OF THE THINGS IN HIS
INTERVIEW THAT SECRETARY MODLY
POINTED OUT WERE WEAKNESSES IN
CAPTAIN CROZIER’S CAPTAIN FLYING
HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD AND
MAKING THESE DISPARAGING AND
RIDICULOUS
RIDICULOUS RIDICULOUSRY MARK RYEMARKS SUCH
THE NAVY LOOKS FOR LEADERSHIP
AND HE WAS NAIVE TO THINK THAT
WOULDN’T BE DISTRIBUTED WIDELY
AND QUICKLY GOING TO THOUSANDS
OF SAILORS, IT DIDN’T TAKE VERY
LONG FOR THE FULL RECORDING OF
THAT ANNOUNCEMENT TO GO OUT.
>> FINAL QUESTION IN A COLLEAGUE
OF YOURS CONGRESSMAN IN AN
INTERVIEW "
INTERVIEW " INTERVIEW WITH "THE PINES"
TALKED ABOUT DISCIPLINE AND
APPLICATION OF IT IN DIFFERENT
CIRCUMSTANCES.
CIRCUMSTANCES. THERE ARE TWO NAVY DESTROYERS
THAT HAD FATAL ACCIDENTS IN 2017
THAT KILLED 17 AMERICANS AND
THOSE FIRINGS OF THOSE CAPTAINS
CAME AFTER MONTHS OF
INVESTIGATIONS.
INVESTIGATIONS. THERE WERE SOME DUE PROCESS
ABOUT GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF
WHAT HAPPENED AND BOTH WERE
RELIEVED OF COMMAND WHERE THIS
WAS A MATTER OF DAYS.
>> THAT IS TRUE AND THERE WAS AN
ON GOING INVESTIGATION.
I BELIEVE THE CHIEF OF
OPERATIONS INDICATE THEED
INVESTIGATIONS WOULD COME OUT
TODAY.
TODAY. AND I HAVE YET TO SEE THAT AND I
DO BELIEVE FURTHER LOOK INTO THE
CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE
SUPPORT TO THE CREW OF THE
"THEODORE ROOSEVELT" IS VERY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. THE MAIN FOCUS HAS TO BE RIGHT
NOW WE HAVE TO HAVE LEADERSHIP
FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM
SUPPORTING COMMANDING OFFICERS
OUT THERE AND HELPING FIGHT THIS
PANDEMIC AND MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR CREWS AND SAILORS STAY
SAFE AND HEALTHY AND CAN RETURN
DO TOING
DO TOING TO DOING THE MISSION THEY ARE
DOING.
DOING. THE REASON THEY ARE IN THE
WESTERN PACIFIC AND IN GUAM, IS
THAT WE HAVE COMPETITORS IN
CHINA AND RUSSIA AND OUR
CONTINUED PRESENCE AND
SPECIFICALLY OUR AIRCRAFT
CARRIER PRESENCE IS INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT FOR OUR NATIONAL
DEFENSE AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE
THEY STAY SAFE, HEALTHY AND GET
THE SHIP BACK ONLINE TO DOING
THE JOB IT IS THERE TO DO.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN ELAINE, THANK