Naval Academy opens investigation into social media posts

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The U.S. Naval Academy has opened an investigation into social media posts allegedly made by a midshipman in the wake of protests over the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota, a news outlet reported.

The posts were allegedly made on a since-deleted Twitter account identified as belonging to Chase Standage, a Midshipman 1st Class from California, and began circulating online Monday, The Capital Gazette reported.

Academy officials learned about the comments Monday night, the newspaper quoted Cmdr. Alana Garas as saying.

Screenshots posted online appear to show one tweet allegedly about a police officer firing tear gas at an unarmed protester demonstrating after the death of Floyd, the paper reported. It said another post allegedly commented on a black woman’s fatal shooting by police in Kentucky.

The tweets surfaced on the same day academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck posted a video message condemning separate racial remarks made earlier this month by a retired captain and former Naval Academy trustee that disparaged admission by the academy of African Americans, Asian Americans and women.

Garas said that depending on the results of the investigation, the midshipman could be disciplined under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or be dismissed from the academy.

Standage did not respond to requests from The Capital Gazette for comment, the newspaper said.

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This story has been CORRECTED to show the student is a midshipman at the Naval Academy, not a cadet.