Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly offered his resignation on Tuesday. The move comes after a leaked audio clip revealed he made derogatory remarks in an address to the ship's crew Monday morning.

In the 2-minute clip obtained by a news outlet, Modly delivered a profanity-laced speech to the ship's crew three days after the Navy fired Captain Brett Cozier.

Modly was heard calling the previous USS Theodore Roosevelt commander "too naive or too stupid" after he allegedly leaked a letter to the media where he warned about a coronavirus outbreak onboard and pleaded for help.

The acting secretary also denounced the Cozier's actions, saying he "betrayed" the army by creating a "big controversy" in Washington. He also berated the media, which he believes are "biased."

Listen to the recording here.

Resignation


Modly's speech drew a lot of flak from Capitol Hill. He was later called upon by Democratic lawmakers and members of the House Armed Services Committee to pass his resignation.

Molly apologized to the Navy for his controversial remarks. In his apology, he said he believes Crozier is a smart commander. He also said he believes the letter was sent to draw attention to the situation aboard the ship.

He also offered his apology to Crozier and his family "for any harm my comments may have done."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the Navy secretary's resignation on Tuesday, clarifying it was a voluntary resignation.

"He resigned on his own accord," Esper said. "He put the Navy and sailor above himself, so everyone can move forward."

US President Donald Trump also addressed the Modly's decision during his White House briefing on Tuesday, saying "he did it for his country."

Modly's resignation comes a week after he fired Captain Cozier over a memo warning of a COVID-19 outbreak among the sailors of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. He cited "poor judgment" as the reason why he decided to relieve the captain of his position.

Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson will replace Thomas Modly until a permanent secretary is confirmed by the Senate.

USS Theodore Roosevelt

Brett Crozier, former commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was fired April 2, 2020, after raising the alarm about the spreading pandemic on the aircraft carrier.

More than 114 of 5,000 crew members aboard the ship tested positive for the virus. He penned and released a strongly-worded letter to Navy officials, as well as 30 other people---a letter that leaked and was picked up by numerous media outlets.

Thomas Modly announced his decision to fire the captain after he caused unnecessary panic and worry among the crew's families. He said the decision to fire the captain was entirely his own.

Other Navy officials said Modly's decision was a mistake as it could encourage commanders to suppress bad news in fears of upsetting political leaders and lead to a dismissal.

Senator Jack Reed, a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, is calling for an investigation into the dismissal of the navy captain from duty.

Reed said the dismissal was against the advice of senior Navy uniformed leadership. He also revealed the decision was made without conducting a proper investigation.