Senators call on Pentagon Inspector General to probe Navy carrier commander's firing

Two Democratic senators formally requested on Friday that the Pentagon's independent Inspector General immediately open an investigation into the Navy's firing of the commander of the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, who called for stronger measures to halt a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.

"Given the extraordinary circumstances under which these events took place, we believe a closer examination by a neutral third party is warranted," wrote Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, according to a copy of the text seen by Reuters.

"We are especially concerned about Navy readiness to support current and future deployments without all necessary precautionary measures and resources, such as for the USS Ronald Reagan and upcoming deployment of the USS Nimitz."