Protect Our Defenders News Blog

 

The Hill: Pentagon misled Congress on sexual assault cases

The Hill reported on Protect Our Defenders’ (POD) report, “Debunked: Fact-Checking the Pentagon’s Claims Regarding Military Justice.”

The Pentagon misled Congress when it said civilian prosecutors refused to prosecute 93 cases of sexual assault that were later pursued by military commanders, according to a report released Monday by Protect Our Defenders.

A Pentagon official made the comments to Congress while arguing against a bill that would have taken military sexual assault cases outside the chain of command and given the cases to independent military prosecutors.

“Whether you agree or disagree with the policy at issue, every senator should be outraged, and revisit their votes,” retired Col. Don Christensen, a former Air Force chief prosecutor and Protect Our Defenders president, said in a written statement. “Congress should hold a hearing to investigate why the Pentagon knowingly relied upon false information to derail reforms they oppose.”

Read more here.