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Pentagon Pressured About Refusal To Let Sexual Assault Expert Testify
It's been a couple weeks since the Pentagon defied a Congressional subpoena and refused to let the military's chief sexual assault expert testify at a hearing about sexual assault in the military.
Lawmakers on the House oversight committee were definitely not happy about it at the time.
Now the committee is stepping up its pressure on the Department of Defense to let Dr. Kaye Whitley, the director of the department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, speak on Capitol Hill.
Yesteday, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging the department to comply with the Congressional subpoena issued for Whitley.
"We believe the Department's actions are completely without justification. The Department has provided no valid legal basis for its decision to prevent a witness from complying with a duly authorized congressional subpoena. The President has not asserted executive privilege over the testimony of Dr. Whitley. During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Tierney asked Mr. Dominguez whether there had been any assertion of executive privilege, and he testified that there had not been.
In addition, the committee also wants to know precisely why officials didn't want Whitley to testify. The letter to Gates also asked for all emails and other internal communications relating to the request for Whitley's testimony.
If the Pentagon does not comply, the committee threated to subpoena three high-ranking Pentagon officials to a hearing on Sept. 12 to testify about the Defense Department's legal rational for not allowing Whitley to testify.
Late Update: Gates has agreed to let Whitley testify
Josh
Zachary
I feel so sorry for Rep Waxman. His writer's cramp must be really severe after writing yet another "stern" but ineffectual latter.
When can we expect some tangible actions instead of this letter blitz?
August 13, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
More f'in letters. That's swell, just friggin' dandy.
I'm embarrassed to be a Dem sometimes. Between the complete lack of any kind of backbone to not holding these criminals redponsible to sending letters. WhatEV.
DO SOMETHING! Arrrrrrggh!
August 13, 2008 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am still confused as to why this Dr. has not complied. As far as I know she is not a soldier, she is a citizen. Why does Congress now need the defense department's permission to call a citizen of the United States to testify? And why on earth is it now compulsory for an employee to get permission from the DOD before answering a call from Congress.
Finally, why is a congressman of the United States bowing to this scenario? Last I knew, the DOD was not in charge of our politicians...
Oops... I keep forgetting... we no longer live in a democracy anymore, do we...
August 13, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Will somebody please ask Pelosi just why impeachment is still "off the table"?
It seems more and more like the Democrats are allowing political expediency get in the way of whatever morals they have remaining - if they had any in the first place.
They should remember that the Republicans lost the confidence of the American people because the Republicans were more interested in getting re-elected and in gaining control of Congress at any cost than they were in doing the jobs they were elected to do.
August 13, 2008 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe she can explain how someone like Lavena Johnson could be beaten, raped and lit on fire and then be reported as a combat suicide to her parents.
August 13, 2008 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink