Washington, April 8 -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, during a White House briefing, denied any role in acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly's resignation.
"I had no role in it," Trump averred.
Earlier in the day, Modly resigned following backlash he received for removing and criticizing the captain who raised alarms about a COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper also accepted his resignation. "This morning I accepted Secretary Modly's resignation. With the approval of the President [Donald Trump], I am appointing current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson as acting Secretary of the Navy," Esper said in a tweet.
Trump said the whole situation is unfortunate, addi...