Here is that clip.

x Ã¢ÂÂI think itÃ¢ÂÂs close to criminal the way theyÃ¢ÂÂre dealing with this guy,Ã¢ÂÂ Joe Biden tells @GStephanopoulos about the Navy firing captain of the Theodore Roosevelt. Ã¢ÂÂ...I think he should have a commendation rather than be fired.Ã¢ÂÂ



Trump defended the firing. https://t.co/IWEd5ppDTB pic.twitter.com/M1HUgApzNS Ã¢ÂÂ This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 5, 2020

As Daily Kos previously covered, Crozier had asked Navy officials for support amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In a moving four-page memo, as was first picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle and then covered widely, Crozier stressed that this is not a time of war; his sailors, who were kept in tight quarters and unable to appropriately practicing social distancing and isolation, did not need to die. As he reportedly wrote, “Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith those Sailors entrusted to our care.”

“I have no doubt in my mind that Capt. Crozier did what he thought was in the best interest of the safety and well being of his crew. Unfortunately, it did the opposite,” Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly stated, suggesting Crozier’s letter caused unnecessary panic.

On CNN’s State of the Union, Defense Secretary Mark Esper downplayed the virus and backed Modly, saying, “I think Secretary Moldy laid out very reasonably… And I think when all those facts come to bear, we'll have a chance to understand why Secretary Moldy did what he did.” Last month, Esper advised commanders to stay on message when it came to the pandemic response, suggesting that keeping the Trump administration up to date on information was a higher priority than keeping our troops safe.

"It was based on his view that he had lost faith and confidence in the captain based on his actions. It was supported by Navy leadership. And I think it's just another example of how we hold leaders accountable for their actions,” Esper stated earlier today.

Here is that clip.

x Pressed on whether it was appropriate to fire Navy ship captain over leaked letter, Sec. of Defense Mark Esper tells @gstephanopoulos he supports the decision: "It's an issue of trust and confidence in the captain of the ship." https://t.co/Xup7LBJT4W pic.twitter.com/hBaAIkS1hE Ã¢ÂÂ ABC News (@ABC) April 5, 2020

x CNNÃ¢ÂÂs @JakeTapper presses Defense Sec. Esper on why Capt. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was removed from his position before a completed investigation. Crozier was fired after writing a memo saying that crew needed help after the coronavirus hit his ship. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/Oo1vdKdVYI Ã¢ÂÂ State of the Union (@CNNSotu) April 5, 2020

On Saturday, Trump reportedly laid into Crozier’s letter, purporting, “this isn’t a class on literature.”

"I thought it was terrible what he did. To write a letter? I mean, this isn't a class on literature. This is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear-powered and he shouldn't be talking that way in a letter. He could call and ask and suggest,” Trump said during a White House presser.

“He wrote a letter to try to save the lives of his sailors. Do you think that's terrible that he did that?” Jake Tapper asked Esper of Trump’s statement. Esper dodged the question saying the investigation is ongoing, but that it wasn’t abnormal to fire a commander without a full review. What, if anything, will come from the investigation is not yet clear.