Ousted Navy captain reportedly tests positive for coronavirus as Esper defends dismissal

During Sunday's edition of CNN's State of the Union, Defense Secretary Mark Esper called acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly's "very tough decision" to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier from command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt last week "another example of how we hold leaders accountable for their actions."

The actions he's referring to involve Crozier writing a letter to Navy leaders about sailors under his command suffering from cases of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. There are reportedly 155 sailors who tested positive, but Modly reasoned that Crozier caused unnecessary alarm and violated the chain of command in his reporting, and Esper mostly backed him up, arguing that Modly "lost faith and confidence" in Crozier. When pressed by host Jake Tapper, Esper did say there was an investigation into the dismissal.

Not long after Esper's interview, The New York Times reported that Crozier himself has tested positive for COVID-19 after he began exhibiting symptoms last Thursday before he was removed from command. His health status is unknown, but the Times notes his diagnosis is likely to increase skepticism of how the Navy handled the situation.

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Crozier may not have the support of Modly, Esper, or President Trump, who also approved of Modly's decision, but former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday said Crozier deserves "commendation" for blowing the whistle, and, perhaps most tellingly, his crew erupted into supportive cheers as he disembarked the aircraft carrier last week.