Slotkin Statement on the Firing of Navy Secretary Spencer

Statement

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), a former senior Pentagon official who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to Navy Secretary Spencer's termination following President Trump's intervention in the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL convicted of violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

"I believe that the United States must be a nation of rules ---- and that no one is above the law," Slotkin said. "As an Army wife and Army step mom, and as a former Pentagon official, I feel strongly that it is essential that the Uniformed Code of Military Justice is upheld by our military and our senior leaders. Maintaining good order and discipline throughout the ranks is critical, as is the professional execution of our missions. That's why we must take it seriously when members of the military fail to follow those rules and standards."

"The circumstances of the Secretary of the Navy's departure points to a serious issue: in his departure letter, Secretary Spencer stated that he no longer had faith that the Commander in Chief was committed to good order and discipline," Slotkin continued. "That is a startling statement -- and frankly, the President's personal interventions in the case of Chief Petty Officer Gallagher have been unprecedented -- and raise many questions, given Gallagher's conduct on the battlefield. This is a complex set of events between the President and his top defense officials ---- but what remains clear is that when the President intervenes in the military justice system, it creates major problems as we are seeing today."

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