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Thomas Modly's Trip To Aircraft Carrier To Call Capt. Brett Crozier 'Stupid' Cost $243,000

The trip to an aircraft carrier last weekend by the now-outgoing Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly to call ousted Capt. Brett Crozier “stupid” cost taxpayers more than $243,000, according to a Navy official.

The astounding cost covered the 35-hour round trip on a Gulfstream 550, the unnamed official said. Modly flew on the C-37B, a Gulfstream business jet modified for military use, which costs $6,946.19 per hour, USA Today was the first to report.

Modly resigned Tuesday after lashing Crozier as “too naive or too stupid to lead the ship” in a speech Monday to sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt after their captain called on Navy brass to deal with an outbreak of coronavirus on his ship at sea.

Modly’s speech was leaked to the media. Sailors on board can be heard yelling at Modly as he denigrates a captain many saw as a hero for helping protect them. Modly apologized after the leak and resigned his post on Tuesday.

Crozier had sent a letter March 30 seeking help dealing with a coronavirus outbreak on his ship in a nonsecure unclassified email. It leaked to the media. More than 100 of 4,000 sailors on the ship had already tested positive for COVID-19 when Cozier sent the plea.

By Thursday, 97% of the aircraft carrier’s crew had been tested for coronavirus, with 416 testing positive. Only about 2,300 of close to 4,800 sailers had been evacuated from the ship, according to CNN.

Modly dismissed Crozier as commander of the ship last week, citing a loss of confidence in the captain’s judgment. Crozier received a standing ovation from his crew as he departed Friday.

President Donald Trump said last week that “it was terrible” what Crozier did, “to write a letter. This isn’t a class on literature .... He shouldn’t be talking that way in a letter.” Trump said Crozier “raised alarm bells unnecessarily.”

After a continued outcry following Crozier’s dismissal, Trump said Monday that Crozier should not have lost his job for having a...

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