Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly apologized late Monday for comments he made to sailors over the PA system aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. In the remarks, Modly called Captain Brett Crozier, who was cheered last week as he departed the ship after being relieved of duty for sounding the alarm over a coronavirus outbreak, “naive” and “stupid.”
Said Modly in his apology: “Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid. I think, and always believed him to be the opposite. We pick our carrier commanding officers with great care. Captain Crozier is smart and passionate. I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship. I apologize for any confusion this choice of words may have caused.”
Earlier on Monday, Modly had said he stood by his remarks: “I stand by every word I said, even, regrettably any profanity that may have been used for emphasis. Anyone who has served on a Navy ship would understand. I ask, but don't expect, that people read them in their entirety.”
Axios reports: “His apology came after President Trump told a news briefing earlier Monday he would ‘get involved' following a leak of Modly's remarks.”
