Modly said Crozier was relieved because he went outside the chain of command and sent his memo over an unsecured system, adding to the chances it could be leaked.
“He sent it out pretty broadly, and in sending it out broadly he did not take care to ensure that it couldn’t be leaked, and that’s part of his responsibility, in my opinion,” Modly said.
“I have received absolutely no pressure. I have had no communication with the White House about this,” he added. “I did, when I was arriving closer to this determination yesterday, I called Secretary Esper and told him that this was the direction I was heading and he told me he would support my decision whatever that might be.”
Top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee slammed the move in a statement Thursday.
“While Captain Crozier clearly went outside the chain of command, his dismissal at this critical moment — as the Sailors aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt are confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic — is a destabilizing move that will likely put our service members at greater risk and jeopardize our fleet’s readiness,” they said.
https://keyt.com/news/politics/2020/04/03/navy-expected-to-remove-commander-of-aircraft-carrier-hit-by-coronavirus-for-being-suspected-of-leaking-memo/