Press Releases

“I deeply respect the considerable efforts by both Sens. McCaskill and Gillibrand to work to improve the way our military responds to cases of assault and sexual misconduct. This is a serious problem which requires serious debate and I have spent several months speaking with a variety of victims, legal experts, Pentagon officials, and others, as well as Sens. Gillibrand and McCaskill. 

I will vote today to support Sen. McCaskill’s bipartisan proposal to add additional changes to the military justice system to further improve the way the military prosecutes these cases and provide additional protections for victims of military sexual assault. I am unable to support Sen. Gillibrand’s effort because of my concerns about its impact on the effectiveness of the military judicial system.

Just a few months ago, Congress enacted 36 specific reforms significantly changing the military legal system, including ending the statute of limitations, removing a commander’s ability to throw-out jury convictions in sexual assault and rape cases, making it illegal to retaliate against victims and requiring dismissal or dishonorable discharge of anyone convicted of sexual assault. Those improvements, combined with my own successful efforts to dramatically strengthen military whistleblower protections, provide significant new tools and stronger legal protections for victims as we work together to curb the rise of sexual assaults and rape in the U.S. military. 

If these improvements fail to curb the rising number of reports of sexual misconduct and assault, I will push for additional steps to strengthen this process to provide more protection to our military men and women.”