Over 1,200 service members, DOD civilians have tested positive for coronavirus.
April 5, 2020, 1:36 PM
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Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he fully supported acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly's decision to dismiss the Navy captain who raised concerns on the handling of coronavirus on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
“Secretary Modly made a tough decision -- a tough call. I have full faith and confidence in him, in the Navy leadership and I support their decision,” Esper said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
The defense secretary appeared on "This Week" after a whirlwind week in which the Navy fired Capt. Brett Crozier, the commanding officer on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after he urged that most of his crew of 5,000 be sailors be removed from the aircraft carrier to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"Sailors do not need to die," Crozier wrote in a letter that was leaked to a newspaper, sparking a firestorm of controversy and ultimately leading to his dismissal.
When pressed on how involved Trump was on making the decision to dismiss Crozier, Esper refused to comment.
"This is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear powered. And he shouldn't be talking that way in a letter," President Donald Trump said of Crozier in a press conference on Saturday. "I thought it was inappropriate."
Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House, on April 1, 2020, in Washington.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House, on April 1, 2020, in Washington.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Over 1,200 service members and Department of Defense civilians have tested positive for coronavirus.
ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
