The case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher has turned into a fiasco. Gallagher’s case of misconduct became a cause célèbre on Fox News, garnering Donald Trump’s attention. He quickly came down on Gallagher’s side, and in the process, Trump again alienated the Pentagon brass. The secretary of the Navy tried to work a backroom deal with the White House and was fired by Defense Secretary Mark Esper for going around the chain of command. What a mess! From CNN:

“Esper said that on Sunday Trump “gave me an order” that Eddie Gallagher would retain his Trident, the pin worn by Navy SEALS that symbolizes their membership in the elite military community.”The case of Eddie Gallagher has dragged on for months and has distracted too many. It must end,” Esper said Monday. “Eddie Gallagher will retain his Trident as the Commander in Chief directed and will retire at the end of this month.”

The real issue here is Donald Trump injecting himself into a situation he learned from right-wing media. In his letter after he was terminated, now-former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said “I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took in the presence of my family, my flag and my faith to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

James Hohmann of The Washington Post 202 writes of the SEAL’s case:

“Gallagher’s was one of three cases in the military justice system that Trump intervened in 10 days ago. The chief petty officer was accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment in Iraq. He was acquitted of murder but convicted in July of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State prisoner. Trump reinstated Gallagher’s rank after he was demoted as part of his punishment.“

The Post’s David Ignatius writes:

“President Trump’s attempt to manipulate military justice had a sorry outcome Sunday with the firing of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. For the past nine months, Spencer had tried to dissuade Trump from dictating special treatment for Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher — but in the end Spencer was sacked for his efforts to protect his service.

“With Spencer’s firing, Trump has recklessly crossed a line he had generally observed before, which had exempted the military from his belligerent, government-by-tweet interference. But the Gallagher case illustrates how an irascible, vengeful commander in chief is ready to override traditional limits to aid political allies in foreign policy, law enforcement and now military matters.“