Sen. Chuck Grassley made the following comment on a news report on a Defense Department inspector general report finding that an Army brigadier general retaliated against a National Guard officer for reporting her sexual assault. Grassley is a main sponsor of the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Grassley and Gillibrand had a news conference promoting the bill this week. They are working to offer it as an amendment to the pending National Defense Authorization Act.
“This is a perfect example of why sexual assault needs to come out of the military chain of command and be under a separate prosecution unit. It fits with the legislation we’re trying to get into the Department of Defense authorization bill up this week to make sure generals can’t interfere like this. The inspector general’s office finding reportedly is the first time that office has substantiated whistleblower reprisal for reporting a sexual assault. I give the acting inspector general credit for taking on cases in what looks like a fearless way, exactly as an inspector general should operate.”
The news story on the report is available here.
