eddie gallagher.at the pentagon think that the president's involvement of punishment for gallagher and other service members could undermine military discipline. >> on thursday, trump tweeted, the navy will not be taking away his trident pin. spencer pushed back saying, i don't interpret the president's tweets as a formal order. the president's tweets have dictated policy and the white house has said they should be considered official statements. spencer said on saturday, he had no plans to resign. >> contrary to popular belief, i'm still here. i did not threaten to resign. but let's just say that we're here to talk about external threats and eddie gallagher is not one of them. >> on sunday, gallagher went on fox and attacked his own superiors. >> this is all about ego and retaliation. this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. they could have taken by trident at any time they wanted. now, they're trying to take it after the president restored my rank. >> the turmoil has three competing na

eddie gallagher.any at the pentagon think the president's involvement in the punishment for gallagher and others could undermine discipli discipline. >> the navy will not be taking away his trident pin. i don't interpret the president's tweets as a formal order. the white house said the tweets should be considered official statements. spencer said on saturday, he had no plans to resign. >> contrary to popular belief, i'm still here. i did not threaten to resign. but let's just say that we're here to talk about expersonal threats. and eddie gallagher is not one of them. >> on sunday, gallagher went on fox and attacked his own superiors. >> this has everything to do with ego. they could have taken by trident at any time they wanted. now, they're trying to take it after the president restored my rank. >> the turmoil has three competing narratives here to explain why spencer the stepping down. national security reporter, ryan brown, explains. >> reporter: good morning christine and kailin. the navy releas

eddie gallagher. on thursday trump tweeted a warning not to expel gallagher from the s.e.a.l.s.sider the tweet a direct order and would move ahead with the review. gallagher told fox news today he didn't buy the argument that he was review was about discipline. >> this is all about ego and retaliation. this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. they could have taken my trident at any time. now they're trying to take it after the president restored my rank. jeremy diamond is at the white house. what do we know? >> reporter: what we're learning is according to a navy official and a military official, the navy has been informed that the white house will not intervene to stop the process from moving forward. that could see eddie gallagher kicked out from the navy s.e.a.l.s. that is despite as you mentioned, the president's tweet that he would block such an effort, block an effort to kick eddie gallagher out of the s.e.a.l.s, remove his trident pin which shows his membership in that elite unit. pentagon officials have urged the president not to intervene. yesterday an adm

this goes to eddie gallagher. gallagher was demoted. the demotion president trump reversed. that much is clear. where it gets murky is a secretary spencer is losing his job for going outside the chain of command. trying to work out a secret agreement with the white house for gallagher to keep his status as a navy s.e.a.l. >> then the impeachment inquiry. a white house review of president trump's decision to freeze military aid is out and it find an extensive effort to justify the move after the fact. as well as a debate about whether it was even heel. documents from the white house review include emails from acting chief of staff mick mulvaney to budget officials in early august asking why the president was blocking aid already approved by congress. let's begin with barbara starr live with a stunning story. good morning. >> good morning to both of you. i have to tell you even at this early hour, up and down the pentagon hallways there is a shock and a dpood deal about confusion about what exactly has transpired. richard spencer forced to resign for going outside the chain of

gallagher is set to retire this weekend. >> we will impact that.ed navy secretary says donald trump doesn't understand the definition of a war fighter. let's get reaction from a war fighter. former marine corps bomb technician, good to have you with us tonight. i want to read something from our armed services committee chair congressman schiff, the democrat who says if a member of the armed services believes they don't have to listen to their immediate superior because they constantly go over their head to the president and pundits on fox news to get out of trouble that is hugely problematic. >> what is so funny is you have a secretary of the navy cutting fired or asked to resign because he jumped his chain of command pontificating and bloviating how good order and discipline are so important. what is troubling about this, i don't know what eddie gallagher did or didn't do but the navy was so bad at trying to prove their case, in doing so eddie gallagher was convicted of one of 7 charges which was posing with a dead body, the only thing they were a

after everything that went down in the eddie gallagher case.kube just spoke with them. you can tell us about the conversation? >> he spoke extensively about how this all went down. he said he found out friday afternoon after a meeting at the white house which we reported on over the weekend where he -- secretary esper and general mark mullen the general of joint chiefs spoke to the president specifically about the eddie gallagher case and other cases, mcelstein and lawrence. we found apparently when they walked out of that meeting, another white house official pulled them aside and said, hey, you should know they're brok brokering a secret proposal for eddie gallagher to keep this trident pin. he laid out a list of values that he said secretary spencer was defying. he said he's not supposed to discuss sensitive conversations he's supposed to keep his chain of command informed on decisions. after that, on sat, the secretary called president trump and said i'm going to ask for the navy secretary's resignation, president trump agreed. on sunday af

eddie gallagher. let's remember gallagher was convicted of bringing discredit to the armed forces after posing next to a dead isis fighter's body. now, he was acquitted of more serious war crimes even though several s.e.a.l.s did testify against him. now, the navy wanted to kick him out of the s.e.a.l.s, taking away his trident pin, which is a symbol of the s.e.a.l.s. but the president took his side. >> with eddie gallagher, you know that story very well. they wanted to take his pin away, and i said, no, you're not going to take it away. we're going to protect our war fighters. >> the navy secretary had approached the oval office to try to resolve this standoff, which left defense secretary mark esper and chairman of the joint chiefs general mark milley, quote, flabbergasted, and it led to spencer being forced out. >> we've been thinking about that for a long time. that didn't just happen. and i have to protect my war fighters. >> the president says he has to protect his war fighters. but listen to wh

eddie gallagher wins, gets to love the navy as a seal. the president wins, he got exactly what he wanted, spencer paid the price and the real price, confusion in the ranks about good order and discipline and chain of command. john. >> not sure anybody wins there with confusion in the ranks. barbara starr live at the pentagon, appreciate you trying to sort that out. with me in studio to share their reporting, manu raju, john kirby, and jackie with the "daily beast." >> this is not the first case, the president has done this repeatedly. what does it do? what does it do? it's done in the case of ed gee gallagher but what does this do inside the pentagon when there's another case coming up the chain of command that might catch the attention of fox news. >> you have major goldstein who was pardoned by the president, and the army is looking at whether he can keep the ranger tab and the silver star in the engagement that brought him up on court martial charges and as barbara indicated, confusion inside the seal community. there are three other n

eddie gallagher. let's remember gallagher was convicted of bringing discredit to the armed forces after posing next to a dead isis fighter's body. now, he was acquitted of more serious war crimes even though several s.e.a.l.s did testify against him. now, the navy wanted to kick him out of the s.e.a.l.s, taking away his trident pin, which is a symbol of the s.e.a.l.s. but the president took his side. >> with eddie gallagher, you know that story. they wanted to take his pin away, and i said, no, you're not going to take it away. >> the naval secretary had approached the oval office to try to resolve this standoff, which left defense secretary mark esper and chairman of the joint chief mark milley, quote, flapp flabbergasted, and it led to spencer being forced out. >> we've been thinking about that for a long time. that didn't just happen. and i have to protect my war fighters. >> the president says he has to protect his war fighters. but listen to what richard spencer says about that. >> i don't think

gallagher was a professional.ost: what do you think of the actions of the navy secretary -- navy secretary and his removal from office? caller: i think it is wonderful what they do. i think the lack of control. what they are doing in the navy is the same thing the president is doing here. host: let's stick to the navy. do you agree with the navy secretary's removal? caller: no. host: why is that? caller: because she is a professional. host: let's hear from jonathan in illinois, retired military. caller: i would like to say what the secretary of the navy is trying to do is uphold good order and discipline. gallagher was tried and found guilty at the court-martial. the evidence showed he was guilty so when the president circumvents military justice, it is a detriment to the entirety. it is more than about the seals in the military, it is about the united states. the united states is a country that does what is right at all times even when facing adverse actions. we have to make sure we do that and the military tries

eddie gallagher. the navy moving to strip him of his status as a s.e.a.l. tonight, abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: tonight, chief petty officer edward gallagher at the center of a high stakes showdown between the navy's top leadership and president trump. gallagher was acquitted of war crime charges in the killing of a teenage isis prisoner, but convicted for posing in a picture next to the teen, defiling a corpse. but last weeshgs president trump granted him clemency. >> they tried to frame mel as a criminal from the get-go. >> reporter: but just days after gallagher was granted clemency, the navy started a process that could lead to gallagher being kicked out of the s.e.a.l.s and losing the try dent pin that identifies him as a member of that elite community. now president trump has stepped in again. today, in a stunning public reversal, tweeting, "the navy will not be taking away eddie gallagher's trident pin. this case was handled very badly from the beginning. get back to business!" just before the president's tweet, gallagher's attorney appeared on

according to this official spencer proposed a veview of gallagher's case with a secret guarantee gallagherld be able to keep his status as a navy s.e.a.l. he was convicted of opposing with a body of an an isis -- and the official says spencer was fired for surcomventing his own chain of command. >> we're hearing three different stories exactly why the secretary of the navy richard spencer was fired from his job. the pentagon issuing a statement saying the secretary of defense, mark esper, had found out that spencer had conducted these secret talks supposedly with the white house about the fate of eddy gallagher who was due to face a review board about whether he would keep his status as a navy s.e.a.l. according to the pentagon spencer had made a secret deal with the white house in that he intended to keep gallagher and the navy s.e.a.l.s to allow the review to go forward. we're hearing two very different stories. one from president trump who says spencer was fired in a tweet, spencer was fired because of how he handled the gallagher case overall and cost runs with regard to navy contracti

but eddie gallagher's name is in the middle of it all.s acquitted of murder charges but convicted of taking photos with a body of a nice his fighter, who was demoted, then president trump stepped in and reversed that decision. the navy said it would review the case. gallagher could have been expelled from the seals, according to the to the secretary of defense, top brass while the military justice system should resolve gallagher's case. president trump ordered something different. >> i spoke to the president on sunday, he gave me in order that eddie gallagher will retain his trident. >> do you consider that in order? >> yes. >> and the president's view... >> sticking up for the armed forces. >> it's the right thing to do. >> we will protect our war fighters. >> the fire navy secretary. >> we have to have good order and discipline. >> of the president does not know what he's talking about. >> a war fighter as a profession of arms and a profession of arms has standards that they have to be held accountable to and they hold themselves to. >>

earlier this month the president issued a pardon restoring gallagher's original rank. me now courtney kube who just spoke with secretary esper about all of this. this is extraordinary. we have not seen the president of the united states stepping in to a military justice case. >> especially one like this where the president has not only stepped in on the military justice part of this, but now he's stepping in, intervening in the administrative review process, which is essentially what this was for eddie gallagher. it's called a trident review board. a jury of his peers would look at the case laid out, in this case, that he was accused and found guilty of posing with the body of a dead isis fighter and they would determine whether that was a crime or something that was serious enough to warrant him losing his trident pin. that's what president trump was intervening in. he said the navy needs to leave that alone, let eddie gallagher keep his trident pin and let him retire as a seal. >> secretary esper just talked to you about this. did he defend the decision of the presid

who was recently acquitted of murder of a young wounded islamic state prisoner gallagher was hot was however found guilty of posing for pictures with the boy's dead body and was demoted in a controversial decision present trouble reversed that court's decision and restored gallagher's rank the times went on to report that secretary spencer had provoked mr trump's ire by threatening to resign over the case and by publicly saying he disagreed with the president's decision to intervene in favor of the commando joining me now to discuss these twists and turns in the hypocrisy surrounding this case is iraq war veteran former state department official matthew hoh he was also senior fellow is also a senior fellow at the center for international policy thank you very much matthew for coming i want to have you on for quite a while now. thanks for having me on you know i want to start by asking for your thoughts on this very interesting case of seal commando edward gallagher in trump's moves to pardon him of any wrong doing especially whatsoever in regards to the killing of this young isis pri

there is you know i think a lot of what time my perspective and say in the case of chief gallagher or some of these other men who've recently been in the news is that they weren't well liked in their units that if you are well liked well respected loved by your fellow soldiers marines sailors you don't get turned in for doing things maybe you get moved out of the unit maybe you get kind of censored internally to a degree but you don't get turned on the way these men were turned on and end up in a court martial with you know navy criminal best agave services coming in so that tells you about the people who are involved i think who committed these actions but there certainly is i mean the united states military. you know there's a nice those to being a professional warrior that is drummed into you from the time you're in recruit training and that's of course bolstered by all the public relations by the billions of dollars that the united states military department of defense spends on their public relations campaigns and their propaganda every year however that once you're in war that d

eddie gallagher's trident pin.the last 48 hours, these military leaders have been talking to the president essentially raising concern of this attempt or seeming apparent attempt to stop, to block the navy from their own processes here. and in all of this, the secretary of the navy, richard spencer, who you mentioned at the beginning there, he is the one who signed off, gave his blessing to this review and admiral colin green who launched the review, both of them essential essential reports they threatened to resign. >> contrary to popular belief i am still here and not threatened to resign. we are hear to talk about stern external threats and eddie gal letter is not one of them. >> reporter: president trump tweeted moments ago that eddie gal letter will do an interview so we will keep our eye on that and see what happens in is that developing story. >> thank you. >>> with us to discuss is cnn political analyst, april ryan. welcome back. >> good morning, victor. >> good morning to you. the president is commander in

gallagher and spencer was supported by white house officials. but we don't have any indication it reached the president about essentially fixing the outcome of that review which is problematic. he should not be involved in that. it's not clear exactly when secretary esper the defense secretary learned this was happening. but it became the reason to fire spencer after spencer was talking about resigning if the president continued getting involved in this case. people close to spencer think this is just a whitewash and he was being fired for having raised questions about this publicly and publicly disagreeing with the president. on friday he made very clear he wanted this case to proceed without the president's interferen interference. >> and though you had broken the news that he was threatening to resign, spencer himself denied that fact. of course we know where we are this morning. >> read his letter. then you can decide for yourself. >> it's clear from the letter you were right all along. kaitlan collins, i want to bring you in. once again thi

eddie gallagher.rd spencer was already under pressure when he disputed reports about the controversy saturday. >> i did not threaten to resign, but let us just say that we're here to talk about external threats and eddie gallagher is not one of them. >> the pentagon chief called spencer's actions deeply troubling. the navy secretary privately proposed to the white house that if officials did not interfere with the navy review, spencer would make certain gallagher could retire with his s.e.a.l. membership and the coveted trident pin. secretary esper said unfortunately as a result i have determined that secretary spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position. i wish richard well. the case of the navy s.e.a.l. convicted of posing with a dead militant but cleared of more serious war crimes had already ignited controversy. >> i just want to retire peacefully with all the honors that i've earned, get back to my family. >> reporter: president trump's twitter bravado was not seen as an order

gallagher is the navy seal accused of war crimes in iraq.alling the case a political show and blaming military officials for meddling. there is also breaking news from the defense department now where secretary esper is explaining more about the decision. jennifer griffin is back on the story. working it over the weekend. good morning from the pentagon. >> we just heard from defense secretary mark esper who spoke to us on the record for the first time about why he fired navy secretary richard spencer. since last night there have been competing narratives about spencer's abrupt termination. according to esper he went behind the back of the chiefs with the white house saying he would fix the result of the trident review board to remain gallagher remained a seal and kept his rank if the white house didn't interfere in the process. esper and milley felt blind-sided and flabbergasted. it was counter to spencer's public statements. he was not honest with them or the public so esper asked for his resignation. in the end spencer was not fired for st

gallagher was demoted. the controversy since has been over whether the navy should mete out any further punishment-- like whether he should keep his status as a navy seal. this past weekend, while civilian and military leaders-- the president said he would not allow the navy to punish gallagher anymore. last night, secretary of navy richard spencer was forced out of his post by secretary of defense mark esper over his handling of gallagher's case. here to walk us through the controversy the nanc nancy yousf with the "wall street journal." rear admiral green who oversees the nav navy seals decides he ws gallagher out of the service. pick up the story. >> he wants to say the military should review whether gallagher should have the distinction or honor of being called a navy seal after this case. he called to a review board, that's where peers come forward, look at the case, and decide whether he should wear the trident pen that says you're one of the most elite forces in the united states military and i think

e gallagher. richard spencer was already under pressure when he disputed reports about the controversy saturday >> i did not threate to talk aboud ede gallagher is e of them. >> reporter: the pentagon chief caller actions deeply troubling. the navy secretary privately proposed to the white house that if officials did not interfere with the navy review, spencer would make certain gallagher could retire with his s.e.a.l. membership and the coveted trident pin. esper said, unfortunately, as a result, i have determined secretary spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position i wish richard well. the case of the navy s.e.a.l. convicted of posing with a dead militant but cleared of more serious war crimes had already ignited controversy. >> i just want to retire peacefully with all the honors that i've earned, get back to my family. >> reporter: president trump's twitter bravado was not seen as an order but caused tension when he wrote this thursday the navy will not be takin eddie gall

eddie gallagher's trident pin. the president had previously used his power to restore gallagher's rank and pay the fired navy secretary served a blow to the president writing he no longer shares the same understanding with the commander in chief who appointed him on the issues of order and discipline and could not in good conscience follow an order he thinks violated the sacred oath he took, a stinging rebuke also defense secretary mark esper has decided given all these circumstances, eddie gallagher will be permitted to retire as a navy s.e.a.l., keeping his trident pin. >> kelly o'donnell for us, thank you. >>> democrats are not done building their case to impeachment president trump. as of now there are no more hearings on the schedule in the impeachment inquiry, but that could change the man in charge of the proceedings says we could hear from more witnesses. meanwhile, a new report out from "the washington post" seems to underscore just how much is left unanswered the post reports a confidential white house re

i mean, whether it's the dog or gallagh gallagher, he's weaponizing these people and our military becauses in the populist space. he's playing that tune over and over again and it's very, very dangerous. >> daily beast reporting just i think an hour ago that he tells allies he wants the absolved war criminals, pardoned war criminals to campaign for him. >> 100%. this is the plan. the playbook. >> they heard trump talk about how he'd like to have matthew goldstein, edward gallagher, show up at his rallies, having a moment on stage at his renomination. how big a deal is it institutionally for spencer, the secretary of the navy, to be fired and to write that letter, lawrence? >> i think it's sort of like when secretary mattis wrote the letter basically when trump had this insane policy in syria to get out in the middle of the conflict and i think he's making a statement. now, this is a lifelong republican coming out against him and basically saying that you're ruining our military by doing this. you know, since 2011, 150 members of the s.e.a.l.s have lost their trident pin, so this is -- the

in one of those photos, gallagher is holding a hunting knife. the navy does not feel that the three seals can get a fair hearing at this point in the wake of the president's order. meantime, the ousted navy secretary, as you mentioned, richard spencer, spoke about his determination to cbs as he left the pentagon monday. he had this to say about president trump. >> a war fighter is a profession of arms. and a profession of arms has standards that they have to be held to, and they hold themselves to. >> spencer was asked about why he went to the white house behind the defense secretary 's back, promising the president that if he allowed the review board to go forward spencer would assure that gallagher wasn't punished and kept his pin. this is the recent defense secretary esper says he fired the navy secretary. >> i lost trust and confidence when i found that the secret proposal was happening, that somehow the fact that we had all agreed and supported the process that he was willing to undermine this process. if that do you have been consummated,

fox news alert for you, the pentagon calling for navy secretary's job review over eddy gallagher navyeal, top military official at odds with the white house, how he just responded. today opens new chapter in impeachment inquiry, key poor decision could land trump allies in the hot seat, we will tell you who, house democrats prepare their next step. >> i've had had some of the most amazing times and the hardest things i've gone through in my life, i'm lucky to be here, i know that every step of the way, thank you so much. heather: taylor swift despise industry drama takes top honors at music awards when "fox & friends first" start right now. ♪ ♪ heather: taylor swift to get you moving this morning, we hope everyone had a great weekend, you're watching "fox & friends first" on this monday morning. i'm heather childers, thank you so much for starting or ending your day with us, let's get straight to fox news alert for you, the secretary designs overnight, richard spencer asked to spend down after disagreeing with the president on navy seal eddy gallagher war crime's case, lauren with wha

in the case of edward gallagher, a navy seal at the center of a war crimes case. spencer's last day was today, but david martin tells us he's not going quietly. >> reporter: leaving the pentagon after being fired, secretary of the navy, richard spencer told cbs news he is not the only casualty of president trump's decision to intervene in the case of navy seal edward gallagher. what were the ramifications of intervening in that review process? >> what message does that send to the troops? >> reporter: well, what message does it send? >> that you can get away with things. we have to have good order and discipline. it's the backbone of what we do. >> reporter: president trump said he stopped the navy from taking away the trident pin, which identifies gallagher as a navy seal, in order to stand up for warriors on the battlefield. >> they wanted to take his pin away. i said, no, you're not going to take it away. he's a great fighter. we're going to protect our war fighters. >> i don't think he understands the full definition of a war fighter. a war fighter is a profes

eddie gallagher.efense secretary mark esper saying in a statement, "i have determined that secretary spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position." gallagher was acquitted by a military court of war crimes in the killing of a teenage isis prisoner in iraq but was convicted for illegally posing with the teen's corpse. he was then demoted in rank, sparking a controversy, pitting the trump administration against the u.s. navy. the president intervened in the case last week, ordering the navy to promote gallagher back to his rank, restoring his pay and pension. >> you know, i just want to retire peacefully with all the honors that i've earned, get back to my family. >> reporter: the president then publicly slammed the navy for launching a review that could have stripped the decorated veteran of his status as a navy s.e.a.l. with this tweet. "the navy will not be taking away war fighter and navy s.e.a.l. eddie gallagher's trident pin. this case was handled very badly from the beginning.

gallagher. testifi he was accused of committing war crimes. he was later acquitted of murder but convicted of posing with the corpse of an isis prisoner. a military jury of combat veterans recommended a demotion. the judge agreed and so did the navy's top admiral. donald trump didn't agree. he reversed that decision before insisting that gallagher retain the gold trident signifying his status of the seals. richard spencer took exception to that insisting friday that the review process should go forward. over the weekend spencer went around the chain of command by trying to broker a deal with trump directly and that's what got himfired. in his letter he said it's become apparent in this respect i no longer share the understanding with the commander of chief who appointed me. in regarding to the key principle of good order and discipline. i cannot obey an order that i believe violates the sacred oath i took. we highlight trump's over reach with spencer's firing trump has recklessly crossed a line

i am trace gallagher today from los angeles and the news starts now. any moment now, a judge will send a chinese businesswoman the feds say talk her way into president trump's resort claiming she was there to use the pool but when secret service agent stopped her inside, they discovered she had for cell phones, laptop, and an external hard drive. she says she did nothing wrong. phil keating reporting live for us from south florida. >> this is quite the bizarre story all along. first, she had several stories as to why she was at president trump's winter white house and the first place, then when it came to the judiciary process for her, she basically fired her defenders, or public defenders so that she could represent herself in court even though he had limited english skills and of course she lost her trial decisively. inside the u.s. courthouse in downtown fort lauderdale, that chinese businesswoman, 33-year-old has been held in custody since she was arrested in march after penetrating through secret service security at trumps mar-a-lago palm beach re

the review of gallagher's behavior. >> he wanted to take his pin away i said no. you're not going to take it away he was a great fighter one of the ultimate fighters. >> reporter: with gallagher keeping the try trident pin, cig fieing being a s.e.a.l., the navy secretary was forced to resign richard spencer who publicly disagreed with the decision to intervene wrote this stunning resignation letter reading, i no longer share the same understanding with the commander in chief who appointed me in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. i cannot in good conscience obey an order i believe violates the sacred oath i took earlier this year, gallagher was acquitted of shooting iraqi civilians and killing a captive enemy fighter with a knife but he was convicted of posing with a dead isis soldier gallagher on fox sunday. >> this is all about ego and retaliation. this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. >> reporter: with spencer appearing to have been pushed out for defying the president, the pentagon says spencer was forced to resign after

jon karl 1257bding by th the f secretary saying president trump ordered him to allow eddie gallagher to keep his trident pin. >>> news in the epstein case. two federal prison guards on duty the night jeffrey epstein took his own life tonight claiming they are scapegoats. >>> and new images just in tonight. the historic heist. surveillance now showing the thieves smashing the display cases at one of the oldest, most famous museums in the world. did they cut power to part of the city so they could make their move in the dark? >>> good evening and it's great to have you with us here to start this thanksgiving week together. but we begin with those back-to-back storms that could cause real travel problems across the country, just as millions travel for the holiday. a storm moving across the west right now before heading straight across the country. and you can see this tractor trailer jackknifing in washington state. it comes after a nor'easter moved up the east coast. snow and sleet. pictures from columbia county, pennsylvania, there. omgehthat moving off, there's a warnings and watches

president trump, who championed gallagher, tweeted this earlier. always protect our great war fighters. i got your backs!" meanwhile, spencer and his first interview since his firing, says the president's interactio inten sends the wrong message. watch. >> i don't think he understands this definition of a war fighter. that's a profession of arms. a profession of arms has standards that they have to be held to, and they hold themselves to. >> harris: why does this story seem to hit so many people? it is sticking. what is it? >> steve: it is. i think the way it's been covered thus far has been polar. on the one hand, the president defending war fighters, on the other, people who are condemning them. i think there's a lot of people in the middle of this. what we are seeing play out over the airwaves and in the newspapers is the discomfort inside the military with what has happened here. i think we can all look at the awards that eddie gallagher has gotten, and pres has worked as a war fighter , specifically. but he did things that are wrong. at least

eddie gallagher.lagher was convicted of a crime by military courts, specifically posing with a corps of an isis fighter, though, accused and acquitted of others. in a rare move that sparked alarm throughout navy leadership, the president reversed that decision and prevented the navy from exercising disciplinary action against gallagher as well. joining me now to discuss, cnn military and diplomatic analyst, rear admiral john kirby, former press secretary for the navy and pentagon. great to have you on today. >> thanks. >> i wonder if you can explain to our viewers how unusual it is and perhaps in your view i wonder troubling for the president, to directly intervene in a case that has been decided by a military court and then intervene again, in effect, when the navy seeks disciplinary action? >> he's been very much involved with this particular case from almost the very beginning, jim. look, the navy did not exactly crown itself in glory with the case on the murder court-martial for gallagher. they ha

eddie gallagher. what military officials are telling nbc news about the effort to kick gallagher out of the unique unit. >>> r. kelly's girlfriend is speaking out about their years long relationship calling herself a victim. the details she is revealing while the singer remains behind bars awaiting trial. >>> first, the former new york city mayor michael bloomberg has entered the race for the white house and launched his campaign with a flashy, on-line ad, highlighting his resume and targeting trump. >> mike bloomberg for president. jobs creator, leader, problem solver. it's going to take all three to build back a country. >> bloomberg plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on nationwide television ads in the next few days. we've got our nbc news political reporters josh letterman and ali vitali getting reaction on the ground to all of this and start with you there, josh. you've been following the kickoff to this campaign only hours old at this point. did he kind of lay out how he thinks he'll win

yeah this all stems from the case of eddie gallagher who is a navy seal who as you briefly mention there was arrested in 2800 for alleged war crimes during several of his deployments in iraq war crimes included allegedly killing unarmed civilian iraqis of and also a stabbing to death the teenage iraqi boy that was held captive by u.s. forces there and he went to trial in a military trial in the united states. and he was acquitted of all of the most serious charges by a military court however after he was released seal commanders including the secretary of the navy still demoted gallagher this navy seal saying that he just did not act appropriately they were still investigating more allegations against him however the president donald trump just a couple weeks ago said that he was going to restock for all of the honors that this navy seal had any gallagher and was going to restore his highest rank that he achieved so there is this real tension between the white house and the pentagon particularly the navy secretary they you baby to hecker terry who wanted to kick eddie gallagher out of th

eddie gallagher's trident pin. this case was handled very badly from the beginning. gallagher's brother today. >> any time i see the president tweet or take action on our behalf, the gratitude that comes out can't really truly be expressed accurately we're just so thankful >> reporter: a u.s. official tells nbc news that the navy is aware of the tweet and has requesd it comes days after president trump ordered gallagher's rank restored. es but he was gallagher was found guilty of posing the of a teenaged isis fighter. >> he told me that he wanted to, uh, instill confidence back into the, uh, war fighters in our community >> reporter: a move widely reported to have created a rift in the navy, which is referring inquiries to the white house as the commander in chief has made his orders clear in a tweet miguel almaguer, nbc news >>> new fallout tonight in the scandal involving britain's prince andrew and his ties to convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein. his royal salary cut off as more charities cut times toime andrew seen in public for the first time since his dratic

gallagher's rank. the president is interfering with the military's chamber of command. kourtn kourtney kube is joining us. >> the president got involved the second time on thursday morning when he tweeted the navy should not interfere with eddie gallagher's case anymore. when they look at the facts of someone when they been charged with any kind of a crime and determine whether the crime that that warrants them and losing their status as a navy seal, president trump made it clear via twitter that he did not want it to occur with gallagher. navy secretary spencer went to the white house, look, a tweet is not a direct order. you give me something in wri writing. if i get something in writing, i am most likely is going to resign. my colleague reported that on saturday. spencer had told him that he would likely resign if he gotten a written order. a number of the chiefs, the arm any secretary and chief of staff a all stepped in and savage the situation. they spoke to president trump explaining him the navy

gallagher on fox sunday. >> this is all about ego and retaliation. this has nothing to do with good order and discipline >> reporter: with spencer appearing to have been pushed out for defying the president, the pentagon says spencer was forced to resign after going behind his boss's back, proposing a secret deal with the white house that would have allowed the review to proceed with a guarantee gallagher would remain a seal. the president tweeting, eddie will retire peacefully with all of the honors that he has earned >> we're going to protect our war fighters somebody has their back and it's called the president of the u.s., okay >> reporter: this navy s.e.a.l. keeping his trident at the order of the president and the cost of the navy secretary miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> it is beginning to look a lot like christmas the white house, first lady melania trump, welcomed the delivery of the 23-foot douglas fir. the tree from valley farms arrived with horse and carriage. it will be the center piece of this year's white house decorations in the blue ro

eddie gallagher. gallagher was in the bringig awaiting trial on what were then murder charges.ged that he had stabbed an islamic state captive in iraq and posed for a picture with him, a trophy picture that was tweeted out. the president called spencer in california and said, get him out, meaning get gallagher out of the brig. spencer kind of raised some questions about this, and trump is said to have told him, you want a direct order? get him out. that's back in march. so gallagher is released from the brig, from the confinement the navy had chosen. he's put in more comfortable facilities. then trump continues to agitate during his trial. there was a plan before the trial that he floated with spencer, let's pardon him pre-trial so he doesn't have to go through this trial. spencer talked him out of that. the trial happened. he was acquitted on the murder charge but he was convicted for posing with this photograph. then we come down to this question of whether his trident pin, coveted among s.e.a.l.s, should be withdrawn. this is happened more than 150 times over the last eight

and he also faced pentagon resistance over the issue of gallagher's s.e.a.l. status and that is why secretary spencer says that he was forced to resign. barb what stara starr is keepin of all of the developments. and this is just skimming the surface. there are a few times where you've seen you at a loss for words and this is one of those circumstances. >> this is a very confusing situation with not a lot of clearances because there are repeating narratives. the president says that spencer was fired in part for on costover runs. the secretary of against saof de was fired because he went behind his back to try to cut a secret deal for eddie gallagher to keep his s.e.a.l. status. the navy secretary says that he was thinking about resigning anyhow because he could not follow in good conscience the president's orders about gallagher. look, you know, what this really gets to the bottom line when there is this much confusion, the real risk is for the troops. confusing chain of command, confusing orders. this is not the way the pentagon works. there is supposed to be

eddie gallagher. here's a reminder of who gallagher is. the navy demoted him after he was found guilty of posing with a dead body of a young isis preuszer. gallagher was acquitted of murder. the president reversed the demotion and tweeted he wouldn't let the navy pup issue gallagher. an administration official tells us, and this is a quote, there is extreme concern over decision-making being pulled from the navy. here's what navy secretary richard spencer is saying about reports he threatened to step down over this. >> contrary to popular belief, i'm still here. i did not threaten to resign. let us just say we are hear to talk about external threats and eddie gallagher is not one of them. . >> the navy secretary says he reports the review of gallagher, which is now under way. >>> u.s. vice president mike pence made an unannounced visit on saturday to iraq where he stopped at a military base in western iraq and served a thanksgiving meal to american troops. but he conspicuously bypassed baghdad out of security concerns. >> reporter: his vis

reporter: charges of corruption with gallagher.it becomes apparent that i no longer share the same understanding of the commander-in-chief that appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. in fact if you look what the president tweeted you might get a glimpse of perhaps one issue. the president said large cost overruns from past administrations, contracting procedures, were not addressed to my satisfaction. therefore secretary of the navy richard spencer's services have been determine terminated by sec-def mark esper. i thank richard for his service an commitment. eddie will retire peacefully with all the honors he earned including his trident pen. the ambassador to norway will be replace him. steve: is there any reaction from the white house to critics of the president who are suggesting that he is getting involved in military business that he should not. reporter: this is one of those circumstances, this is a great question actually, steve. this is the problem. whenever the president decides to weig