Reps. Thompson and Huffman call for dismissal of Navy chief after rebuke of fired Capt. Brett Crozier

Sonoma County’s two congressmen, Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, are joining other lawmakers in calling for the removal of the Acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, who fired Navy Capt. Brett Crozier after he implored officials for help during a COVID-19 outbreak on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt.

Modly, in an address to the crew in Guam, called Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, either “too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this.”

The rebuke came less than a week after Crozier’s letter imploring Navy leadership for help with the spreading coronavirus on the ship leaked to the media. It was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Crozier, who was removed from his command by Modly on Thursday, has since tested positive for the virus. More than 200 crew members on the ship have also tested positive, according to the Navy.

Huffman and Thompson co-authored a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, asking him to remove Modly, citing Modly’s “unacceptable attack on Capt. Crozier in remarks to Crozier’s former crew.”

The letter comes as a growing number of lawmakers say they have lost confidence in Modly, who issued a written apology over his comments on Monday night.

“I think Capt. Crozier should be exonerated,” Thompson said Tuesday afternoon. “He should not have lost his commandd in the first place, and Modly ought to leave. He’s done a terrible job. He ought not be in charge.”

Modly’s comments to Crozier’s former crew, a recording of which leaked to the public, were outrageous, Thompson said.

“He had no right to say that. He was just clearly out of bounds,” Thompson said.

Comparitavely, Crozier should be lauded, Thompson said.

“What Corzier did was a real act of herois and showed a great concern fo the people on his ship,” he said.

In their letter Tuesday morning, Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Huffman, D-San Rafael, called for “the immediate dismissal of Thomas Modly from his position as acting secretary of the Navy.

“In the midst an unprecedented health crisis, the acting secretary recklessly attacked the character of Capt. Brett Crozier in his remarks to the entire crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Monday, 6 April. “Capt. Crozier acted with only the best interest of his crew in mind and showed an unwavering commitment to the health and safety of the sailors of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The secretary of the Navy and the entire Department of Defense should be focused on the health of our men and women in uniform, not closing ranks and slandering a good man who has served his nation honorably.

“We are deeply concerned that the recent actions of Acting Secretary of Navy Modly risks losing the confidence of men and women in uniform. Thomas Modly is unfit to lead the Department of Navy.”

Crozier wrote to Navy officials asking for more help to fight coronavirus aboard the Roosevelt. He was removed from command on Thursday and left the ship amid a rousing send off from much of his crew.

At least 173 sailors aboard the ship have tested positive, as of Monday, and about 2,000 of the 4,865 crew members had been taken off. The Navy has offered no estimate of when the ship might return to duty.

In his apology, Modly wrote:

“Let me be clear, I do not think Capt. 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. Capt. 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.”

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, D.C., was among several lawmakers who’ve said they have lost confidence in Modly.

“Acting secretary Modly’s decision to address the sailors on the Roosevelt and personally attack Capt. Crozier shows a tone-deaf approach more focused on personal ego than one of the calm, steady leadership we so desperately need in this crisis,” he said. “I no longer have confidence in acting secretary Modly’s leadership of the Navy and believe he should be removed from his position.”

Smith is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which has oversight responsibility over the military services.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.