President Trump defended the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Monday, suggesting the ouster was a long time coming and was part of an effort to “protect” members of the armed forces.
“We’ve been thinking about that for a long time. That didn’t just happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with the prime minister of Bulgaria. “I have to protect my warfighters.”
In public comments, Spencer had indicated he supported a review of Gallagher’s conduct. According to CNN, Spencer was working “behind the scenes” with the White House on a deal that would allow the review to be conducted with the assurance Gallagher would be able to retire as a SEAL. The Pentagon said that effort prompted Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to ask for his resignation because of a “lack of candor.
“They had one young man in jail for six years. He had many years to go, and a lot of people think he shouldn’t have been there, and I gave him a pardon,” Trump said. Trump did not respond to questions earlier in the day about whether he directed Esper to fire Spencer.
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