Ousted Navy secretary made secret deal with Trump: Pentagon chief

The US defense secretary Monday defended the decision to sack his navy secretary, saying he went behind his back to make a deal with the White House over a convicted Navy SEAL's future.

Mark Esper told reporters Richard Spencer, the Navy's top civilian, admitted he had gone around Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.

Esper and Milley were holding their own discussions with President Donald Trump last week about the SEAL's case, which caused a rare public split between the Pentagon leadership and the US commander in chief over military justice.

"We were completely caught off guard by this information, and realised that it undermined everything we have been discussing with the president," Esper said of Spencer's secret talks.

"We have a chain of command that should be followed and that chain of command must be kept informed," he said.

"Secretary Spencer broke these rules and thus lost my trust and confidence."
He wrote that he could not "in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took... to support and defend the Constitution."
Esper said Monday that the case had dragged on too long and had become "distracting."