https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-over-covid-19
Brett Crozier: US navy seeks to reinstate captain demoted over Covid-19
The US navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives from coronavirus, officials have said.The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Brett Crozier to the defence secretary, Mark Esper, on Friday, three weeks
after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the navy for stronger measures to protect the crew.
The Pentagon issued a statement acknowledging Esper received the results of the navy’s preliminary inquiry into the Roosevelt incident. But it added that Esper wanted to review a written copy of the completed inquiry. Suggesting no decision was imminent, the statement said Esper “intends to thoroughly review the report and will meet again with navy leadership to discuss next steps”. The navy said in a statement, “no final decisions have been made”.
The House armed services committee chairman, Adam Smith, a Democrat, called for Crozier’s immediate reinstatement. “During this time of crisis, Captain Crozier is exactly what our sailors need: a leader who inspires confidence,” he said.
A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Esper wanted to be sure that the final navy report would stand up to public scrutiny before signing off and stressed that the Roosevelt outbreak inquiry went far beyond Crozier. But Esper’s deliberations raised questions about whether political or other considerations might override the navy’s recommendations in a case that has seen Democrats vocally critical of the Trump administration’s handling of the matter.........