McSally pushes to criminalize sexual harassment in military, add lawyers for victims [View all]
WASHINGTON – Sen. Martha McSally, who was sexually assaulted while serving in the Air Force, will push legislation to focus on criminalizing sexual harassment in the ranks and ensure that each military base has a lawyer who advocates for victims, she told USA TODAY in an interview.
McSally, an Arizona Republican on the Armed Services Committee and retired Air Force attack plane pilot, also said she stands by the commanders' traditional role as the arbiter of prosecutions for sexual assault. That stance puts her at odds with fellow committee member Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
"Look, I appreciate her passion and advocacy on this issue over the years," McSally said. "But she’s not served in the military. There’s a unique role of the commander that is so important for our military."
In March, McSally revealed during a Senate hearing that she had been raped by a superior officer and that she felt re-victimized by Air Force officials who questioned her about it. She has gone on to push the military to establish a task force charged with recommending substantive changes to the way the military combats sexual assault. The time was ripe: last week, the Pentagon announced an estimated 20,500 troops had been sexually assaulted in 2018, a 38% increase compared with 2016.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mcsally-pushes-to-criminalize-sexual-harassment-in-military-add-lawyers-for-victims/ar-AABdGtr?li=BBnb7Kz
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