https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...e9-b7b4-95e30869bd15_story.html?noredirect=on
National Security
Sexual assault allegations complicate confirmation of Trump’s nominee for military’s No. 2 officer
Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee in March. (EJ Hersom/Department of Defense)
By Paul Sonne ,
Karoun Demirjian and
Missy Ryan
July 10 at 11:49 PM
The confirmation of President Trump’s pick to become the U.S. military’s No. 2 officer could be delayed as senators question how the Pentagon handled sexual assault allegations against him, even though military authorities deemed them insufficient to bring charges.
Trump nominated Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early April.
Shortly thereafter, an Army colonel who had been relieved of her duties while serving on his staff for allegedly creating a toxic work environment alleged that Hyten had made sexually abusive contact with her on more than a half dozen occasions, including in a California hotel room during the Reagan National Defense Forum in December 2017.
The allegations — which Hyten denies — prompted a probe by the Air Force criminal investigative service. Based on the results, the Air Force decided not to press forward with a court-martial or any other disciplinary actions against Hyten, who is in charge of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
“After a comprehensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, there was insufficient evidence to support any finding of misconduct on the part of Gen. Hyten,” Pentagon spokeswoman Col. DeDe Halfhill said in a statement. “With more than 38 years of service to our nation, Gen. Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot.”
Air Force officials briefed senators on Wednesday morning about the results of the investigation.
A senior U.S. military official said investigators spoke to 53 people in three countries and 13 states, reviewed thousands of emails, and ended up “out of rocks to turn over” after following all the leads provided. After interviewing people who previously served under Hyten, investigators didn’t find indications of such behavior with other subordinates, said the military official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the details of a legal matter.
“Did we find a case where the service member says on this date, x happened, and when we looked at it, they were on different continents? We didn’t,” the official said. “So was it physically possible? Yes.”
The Army colonel who made the allegations said she is willing to testify under oath to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is overseeing Hyten’s confirmation process, preferably in a closed-door session. Speaking to The Washington Post, she described the military justice system that adjudicated her case as flawed and said the alleged incidents merit action by the military as Hyten prepares to ascend to a position of even greater power.
The Army colonel, who said she was in the force for 28 years, including two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq, and had served a variety of prestigious assignments involving high-level strategy, said she didn’t tell anyone about the incidents at the time.
A spokesman for Hyten at Strategic Command declined to make the general available for comment. In a statement, the spokesman said Strategic Command fully cooperated with the investigation.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have already questioned the Pentagon about its handling of the case. In a June 25 letter to acting defense secretary Mark Esper, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said they had “serious concerns and questions” about the procedures the Department of Defense followed during the investigation.
The senators said they were “gravely troubled” that the Pentagon designated an Air Force general who was junior in grade to Hyten to decide whether to proceed to a court-martial or other disciplinary measures. Gen. James M. Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, who is part of a small Air Force four-star general officer corps along with Hyten, served as the convening authority in the case.
Warren and Duckworth also expressed concern that Hyten wasn’t removed or suspended from his post at U.S. Strategic Command during a criminal investigation against him and retained his security clearance during the process.
“That he remains in command while under criminal investigation raises serious questions about whether the Department is affording General Hyten preferential treatment because of his rank and pending nomination,” the senators wrote.
The senior U.S. military official said the department decided to make Holmes the convening authority for the case to leave room for the possibility of appeal to the defense secretary or the secretary of the Air Force. The official said Holmes had “zero conflict of interest” because he didn’t work for Hyten, wasn’t from the same community of nuclear and space officers, and wouldn’t work for him in the future.
An Air Force official said no evidence was produced that was sufficient to warrant the revocation of Hyten’s security clearance or temporary removal from his position.
The Army colonel said she contacted senators to raise concerns that the matter wasn’t going to be handled fairly because one of Hyten’s fellow four-star Air Force generals was adjudicating the case.
The situation risks imperiling the confirmation of one of the nation’s top military officials at a time of unprecedented leadership upheaval at the Pentagon. The Department of Defense is set to be led by its third acting defense secretary this year, as Esper prepares to comply with federal rules by stepping aside temporarily while his nomination is considered.
There is also uncertainty in the uniformed ranks. The four-star admiral who was due to take over as the Navy’s top officer on Aug. 1 instead abruptly announced his retirement last weekend, citing his interactions with a subordinate accused of acting inappropriately toward female officers. Gen. Paul J. Selva, the current vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is due to retire on July 31.
Whether the situation will prevent Hyten from assuming the military’s No. 2 post may turn on whether senators believe the word of an Army colonel over that of a four-star Air Force general — and whether the White House, the Pentagon and Hyten himself decide to proceed with the process.
The Army colonel, who spoke on the condition that The Washington Post not use her name but agreed to be described by her service and rank, characterized a series of incidents in which she alleged Hyten touched, hugged or kissed her without her consent, and spoke of his feelings for her. In many of the alleged incidents, she said she rebuffed him or warned him that his actions were inappropriate.
The colonel said the first incident occurred during a visit to Palo Alto, Calif., in January 2017. She had stayed behind in Hyten’s hotel room after a team meeting, she said, and the general pressed her hand to his groin as she tried to leave. She said she did not report that incident, wondering if it had been a mistake.
Other alleged incidents followed, she said, culminating in one during another trip to California, this time for the Reagan National Defense Forum outside of Los Angeles in December 2017. The colonel said Hyten appeared at the door of her hotel room in his workout clothes. Once inside, she said that he began kissing her aggressively and grinding against her body until he ejaculated.
“I felt really violated and really disappointed,” she said.
She said she didn’t tell anyone about what had happened until much later because she thought she could manage the situation and she believed that because Hyten planned to retire after his Strategic Command assignment, there would be no further chance of other subordinates facing similar conduct.
During all that time, the colonel said, Hyten praised her and advocated for her career, recommending her to other senior officers as she sought a position outside of Strategic Command. That changed early in 2018, she said, when Hyten’s command opened a formal investigation into allegations that she had helped create a hostile environment.
A different officer who was on Hyten’s team said the Army colonel was short-tempered, responded angrily to not getting her way, and yelled at other officials, even though she sometimes was a well-versed leader able to connect the dots between Strategic Command and Washington.
The Army colonel denied yelling and said she was under stress because of the alleged inappropriate behavior by Hyten. “In hindsight, I could have been much more levelheaded,” she said. “I could have. But to sit here and say I was a toxic leader is not true.”
In March 2018, Hyten signed off on a decision to relieve her of her duties. Later that year, she assumed a senior role at a different command and is expecting to retire as a colonel.
The other officer formerly on Hyten’s team, who lacked authorization to speak publicly, suggested that the Army colonel also raised allegations of a nonsexual nature against Hyten that weren’t substantiated. The colonel confirmed that as part of her appeal against the inquiry that lead to her dismissal, she had pointed out what she described as Hyten’s questionable travel and ethics issues. She said she provided statements to an inspector general investigation regarding those matters but didn’t know the outcome. The Post was not able to verify what resulted from those allegations.
The colonel denied that she had leveled any allegations as retribution for being relieved of her duties.
“I was ready to go to my grave with this because I didn’t want to have to deal with it,” she said. That changed when Hyten emerged as the president’s choice to replace Selva, she noted.
“I saw that nomination come out and I freaked out,” she said.
“I was like I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t and this happens to somebody else,” she added. “So that was a no-brainer for me.”
Hyten hasn’t spoken publicly about the matter. Pentagon officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the specifics of the allegations.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are now combing through the details of the case.
“Anytime there are allegations, it’s a concern,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said, exiting a meeting of senators on the panel, in which they were told of the findings of the investigation.
Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the panel, declined to say whether he intended to insist on hearing from the Army colonel.
“We are taking this step by step. The first step is getting the appropriate briefings from the investigations,” Reed said as he exited the same meeting.
Duckworth said Wednesday that committee members had not been given the full investigative report but were promised an unredacted copy.
Emerging from the meeting with Pentagon officials about the Hyten investigation, Duckworth said she continued to be concerned that Hyten “wasn’t removed from his position, or suspended from his position, when that has happened with previous high-ranking members of the military” facing similar charges.
Duckworth, who is an Army veteran, said she thought it would be important to hear from the Army colonel , though she said how hard Democrats would push for that would be left up to Reed.
But, Duckworth noted, “She’s been in touch with my office, and she’s been in touch with quite a few of our offices already.”
Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), a veteran of the Air Force who was sexually assaulted while serving, noted she had “a lot more questions” and was working through the materials officials had provided to the panel.
“I’m doing my due diligence,” she said, “like we should with everybody.”
Julie Tate contributed to this report.
https://time.com/5624131/officer-air-force-general-sexual-misconduct/
Senior Officer Accuses Air Force General of Sexual Misconduct
U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. John Hyten testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 11, 2019.
Andrew Harnik—AP
By LOLITA C. BALDOR / AP
July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON — A senior military officer has accused the Air Force general tapped to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of sexual misconduct, potentially jeopardizing his nomination. Members of Congress have raised questions about the allegations and the military investigation that found insufficient evidence to charge him.
The officer told The Associated Press that Gen. John Hyten subjected her to a series of unwanted sexual advances by kissing, hugging and rubbing up against her in 2017 while she was one of his aides. She said that he tried to derail her military career after she rebuffed him.
The Air Force investigated the woman’s allegations, which she reported days after Hyten’s nomination was announced in April, and found there was insufficient evidence to charge the general or recommend any administrative punishment. The alleged victim remains in the military but has moved to a different job.
“My life was ruined by this,” she told the AP.
The woman asked to not be identified by name. The AP routinely does not name victims of sexual assault.
The accusations against Hyten come at a time when the Pentagon has had an unusual amount of turmoil in its senior ranks, with only an acting defense secretary for the past six months. One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for that position recently withdrew after details of his contentious divorce surfaced. On Sunday, an admiral selected to be the top Navy officer withdrew due to what officials said was an inappropriate professional relationship.
TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers
For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year.
It’s unclear when, or if, Hyten’s confirmation hearing will move forward. It has not been scheduled, despite the fact that the current vice chairman, Gen. Paul Selva, is scheduled to retire at the end of the month.
Air Force Col. DeDe Halfhill, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said Wednesday that Hyten’s nomination remains on course.
“With more than 38 years of service to our nation, Gen. Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot,” she said.
A senior Air Force official said investigators went through emails, conducted interviews and pursued every lead, but did not uncover evidence to support the allegations. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, added that they also found no evidence that the woman was lying.
Last month, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter to acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper asking why Hyten was not removed from his post amid the investigation. The letter, obtained by the AP, raised questions about whether he received special treatment.
The woman making the allegations said she, too, wonders if Hyten received special treatment because of his rank, and she fears her honesty and motives will be questioned because of the circumstances and timing of her allegations.
The woman began working for Hyten in November 2016. Though he is an Air Force general, she is in another military branch, which she asked the AP not to disclose.
The officer said the unwanted sexual contact, kissing and hugging began in early 2017 and recurred several times throughout that year when she was working closely with Hyten. She said she repeatedly pushed him away and told him to stop.
In December 2017, when they were in southern California for the annual Reagan National Defense Forum, Hyten came into her room wearing workout clothes and hugged her tightly and rubbed up against her, according to the woman. She said she told him to leave.
Hyten then asked the woman if she was going to report him. She said she told him no.
The woman said she didn’t report the incidents at the time in order to avoid embarrassment, and out of fear of retaliation. She was also thinking about retiring, and believed Hyten was as well, so she concluded that he would not pose a risk to any other service members.
She later learned that she was under investigation by Strategic Command for what officials said was “toxic” leadership behavior.
That allegation surprised her, she says, because Hyten was familiar with her leadership style and “encouraged” it. He had given her glowing performance reviews, some of which were reviewed by the AP.
“I was not the most popular officer in the command. In fact, one could say I was not popular at all,” she said. “But I was very successful in turning around an organization.”
In her interview with the AP, she showed copies of performance reviews from Hyten in which she was ranked as the top officer out of 71 on his staff. Hyten wrote that she had “unlimited potential to lead and serve with distinction as a multi-star” general.
“Exceptionally competent and committed leader with the highest level of character,” Hyten wrote, adding that “her ethics are above reproach.”
The investigators issued her a letter of reprimand for her leadership and she was removed from her job at Strategic Command. She submitted her retirement.
But military officials in her branch of service determined her retirement was coerced and they rejected it. They then moved her to another senior job in the Washington area.
As she moved into her position, the officer received another negative evaluation by Hyten, which she appealed. During the appeals process, Hyten was nominated for the vice chairman position.
The woman said she decided she couldn’t live with the idea that Hyten might assault someone else if he was confirmed for the job. She reported the sexual misconduct to the Defense Department inspector general.
Because the charges involved criminal sexual assault, the case was referred to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and a formal investigation into Hyten was launched. Several weeks later, Gen. James Holmes, the officer in charge of the investigation, decided not to press charges.
Asked whether she has ever filed similar complaints, the officer said she was one of several who reported a commander for sexual harassment in 2007 in Iraq.
The woman told the AP she believes Hyten has committed “the perfect crime where no one will ever believe me.”
“I’ve already completed a successful career,” she said. “I had nothing to gain from doing this.”
Contact us at [email protected].
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/10/politics/hyten-cleared-assault-allegations/index.html
Air Force clears senior general of sexual misconduct allegations
By Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 0023 GMT (0823 HKT) July 11, 2019
(CNN)The Air Force has cleared President Donald Trump's nominee to become vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of allegations of sexual misconduct, a senior military official directly familiar with the investigation told CNN Wednesday.
The allegations surfaced in April shortly after four-star General John Hyten was nominated to be the President's second most senior military adviser.
The official said no evidence or information had been found to substantiate nine allegations made against Hyten by a junior female officer.
Two senior military officers confirmed to CNN that the officer has made similar allegations against other personnel in the past.
The Pentagon issued a statement saying: "After a comprehensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, there was insufficient evidence to support any finding of misconduct on the part of General Hyten. General Hyten has cooperated with the investigation. With more than 38 years of service to our nation General Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot."
CNN has not been able to speak to the officer who made the allegations against Hyten.
Questions have been raised about why a confirmation hearing for Hyten had not yet been scheduled, three months after he was nominated for the role.
Hyten, who would take over from Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, is currently the head of US Strategic Command, which is critical in monitoring nuclear testing and missile launches around the world and advising the President, if needed, on nuclear launch options for the US.
Officials tell CNN the allegations have caused dismay among dozens of officers who are uncertain if the administration will still support Hyten's nomination. There also questions over whether Hyten will want to proceed with a public confirmation hearing that may discuss the allegations even though the military has cleared him.
Senators briefed
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee were briefed on the results of the investigation on Wednesday morning. After that briefing took place a small number of reporters were briefed on the outcome as well.
In a June 25 letter to acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth -- who are both members of the committee -- criticized how the Air Force handled the case, saying "that he remains in command while under criminal investigation raises serious questions about whether the Department is affording General Hyten preferential treatment because of his rank and pending nomination."
It's not clear if Wednesday's briefing alleviated the concerns raised in the letter but a Senate staffer confirmed that Hyten's accuser has contacted members of the committee.
CNN has contacted members of the committee for their reaction to the briefing but has not heard back.
The Pentagon has not issued any formal statement on the status of Hyten's nomination. "We have not received any change in his status," said Col. DeDe Halfill, a Pentagon spokesperson.
The news of the investigation comes as the Pentagon continues to operate without a Senate-confirmed secretary of defense. Many other senior military positions remain unfilled or are filled by officials in acting roles.
Those vacancies are a reflection of the Department of Defense's ongoing struggle to establish an unprecedented transition plan aimed at ensuring continuity of leadership at the highest levels while there is still no confirmed secretary of defense following the dramatic implosion of Patrick Shanahan's nomination last month.
Nine allegations made
The investigation examined allegations made by the female officer concerning what she claimed were nine incidents that occurred between February 2017 and February 2018. The senior military official said, "In early April we received allegations of abusive sexual contact and inappropriate relationship against General Hyten" after his nomination was made public. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations initiated a criminal investigation on April 15."
The official noted that criminal investigations do not take a position on substantiating allegations but simply report evidence and facts learned. The evidence and facts were then reported to another four-star general who reviewed the report and had the authority to convene a court martial or engage in disciplinary action. That officer -- Gen. James Holmes, head of the Air Combat Command -- declined to take any action, ruling that there was insufficient evidence and facts to substantiate the allegations.
"The court martial convening authority considered the facts in the report and based on the advice of their counsel decided that there was insufficient evidence to profer any charges against General Hyten or to recommend administrative action against the general," the senior military official told reporters.
The senior official was adamant that the woman's allegations were taken seriously and procedures were followed and they also said no evidence was presented that warranted re-assigning Hyten during the investigation.
"Every single lead that we've been provided, we went and looked at it. Every single rock that we thought we should look under for investigative sufficiency just as a matter of practice, we've looked under. Anything that anyone pointed to and said you might want to do this or you might want to do that, to date we a have looked at," another senior official said.
"At this point, we've conducted an exhaustive investigation, talked to 53 witnesses across three countries and 13 states, reviewed tens of thousands of emails, interviewed folks that were closest to the alleged incidents, and we're just out of rocks to turn over, it's that exhaustive," they added.
CNN's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
National Security
Sexual assault allegations complicate confirmation of Trump’s nominee for military’s No. 2 officer
Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee in March. (EJ Hersom/Department of Defense)
By Paul Sonne ,
Karoun Demirjian and
Missy Ryan
July 10 at 11:49 PM
The confirmation of President Trump’s pick to become the U.S. military’s No. 2 officer could be delayed as senators question how the Pentagon handled sexual assault allegations against him, even though military authorities deemed them insufficient to bring charges.
Trump nominated Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early April.
Shortly thereafter, an Army colonel who had been relieved of her duties while serving on his staff for allegedly creating a toxic work environment alleged that Hyten had made sexually abusive contact with her on more than a half dozen occasions, including in a California hotel room during the Reagan National Defense Forum in December 2017.
The allegations — which Hyten denies — prompted a probe by the Air Force criminal investigative service. Based on the results, the Air Force decided not to press forward with a court-martial or any other disciplinary actions against Hyten, who is in charge of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
“After a comprehensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, there was insufficient evidence to support any finding of misconduct on the part of Gen. Hyten,” Pentagon spokeswoman Col. DeDe Halfhill said in a statement. “With more than 38 years of service to our nation, Gen. Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot.”
Air Force officials briefed senators on Wednesday morning about the results of the investigation.
A senior U.S. military official said investigators spoke to 53 people in three countries and 13 states, reviewed thousands of emails, and ended up “out of rocks to turn over” after following all the leads provided. After interviewing people who previously served under Hyten, investigators didn’t find indications of such behavior with other subordinates, said the military official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the details of a legal matter.
“Did we find a case where the service member says on this date, x happened, and when we looked at it, they were on different continents? We didn’t,” the official said. “So was it physically possible? Yes.”
The Army colonel who made the allegations said she is willing to testify under oath to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is overseeing Hyten’s confirmation process, preferably in a closed-door session. Speaking to The Washington Post, she described the military justice system that adjudicated her case as flawed and said the alleged incidents merit action by the military as Hyten prepares to ascend to a position of even greater power.
The Army colonel, who said she was in the force for 28 years, including two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq, and had served a variety of prestigious assignments involving high-level strategy, said she didn’t tell anyone about the incidents at the time.
A spokesman for Hyten at Strategic Command declined to make the general available for comment. In a statement, the spokesman said Strategic Command fully cooperated with the investigation.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have already questioned the Pentagon about its handling of the case. In a June 25 letter to acting defense secretary Mark Esper, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said they had “serious concerns and questions” about the procedures the Department of Defense followed during the investigation.
The senators said they were “gravely troubled” that the Pentagon designated an Air Force general who was junior in grade to Hyten to decide whether to proceed to a court-martial or other disciplinary measures. Gen. James M. Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, who is part of a small Air Force four-star general officer corps along with Hyten, served as the convening authority in the case.
Warren and Duckworth also expressed concern that Hyten wasn’t removed or suspended from his post at U.S. Strategic Command during a criminal investigation against him and retained his security clearance during the process.
“That he remains in command while under criminal investigation raises serious questions about whether the Department is affording General Hyten preferential treatment because of his rank and pending nomination,” the senators wrote.
The senior U.S. military official said the department decided to make Holmes the convening authority for the case to leave room for the possibility of appeal to the defense secretary or the secretary of the Air Force. The official said Holmes had “zero conflict of interest” because he didn’t work for Hyten, wasn’t from the same community of nuclear and space officers, and wouldn’t work for him in the future.
An Air Force official said no evidence was produced that was sufficient to warrant the revocation of Hyten’s security clearance or temporary removal from his position.
The Army colonel said she contacted senators to raise concerns that the matter wasn’t going to be handled fairly because one of Hyten’s fellow four-star Air Force generals was adjudicating the case.
The situation risks imperiling the confirmation of one of the nation’s top military officials at a time of unprecedented leadership upheaval at the Pentagon. The Department of Defense is set to be led by its third acting defense secretary this year, as Esper prepares to comply with federal rules by stepping aside temporarily while his nomination is considered.
There is also uncertainty in the uniformed ranks. The four-star admiral who was due to take over as the Navy’s top officer on Aug. 1 instead abruptly announced his retirement last weekend, citing his interactions with a subordinate accused of acting inappropriately toward female officers. Gen. Paul J. Selva, the current vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is due to retire on July 31.
Whether the situation will prevent Hyten from assuming the military’s No. 2 post may turn on whether senators believe the word of an Army colonel over that of a four-star Air Force general — and whether the White House, the Pentagon and Hyten himself decide to proceed with the process.
The Army colonel, who spoke on the condition that The Washington Post not use her name but agreed to be described by her service and rank, characterized a series of incidents in which she alleged Hyten touched, hugged or kissed her without her consent, and spoke of his feelings for her. In many of the alleged incidents, she said she rebuffed him or warned him that his actions were inappropriate.
The colonel said the first incident occurred during a visit to Palo Alto, Calif., in January 2017. She had stayed behind in Hyten’s hotel room after a team meeting, she said, and the general pressed her hand to his groin as she tried to leave. She said she did not report that incident, wondering if it had been a mistake.
Other alleged incidents followed, she said, culminating in one during another trip to California, this time for the Reagan National Defense Forum outside of Los Angeles in December 2017. The colonel said Hyten appeared at the door of her hotel room in his workout clothes. Once inside, she said that he began kissing her aggressively and grinding against her body until he ejaculated.
“I felt really violated and really disappointed,” she said.
She said she didn’t tell anyone about what had happened until much later because she thought she could manage the situation and she believed that because Hyten planned to retire after his Strategic Command assignment, there would be no further chance of other subordinates facing similar conduct.
During all that time, the colonel said, Hyten praised her and advocated for her career, recommending her to other senior officers as she sought a position outside of Strategic Command. That changed early in 2018, she said, when Hyten’s command opened a formal investigation into allegations that she had helped create a hostile environment.
A different officer who was on Hyten’s team said the Army colonel was short-tempered, responded angrily to not getting her way, and yelled at other officials, even though she sometimes was a well-versed leader able to connect the dots between Strategic Command and Washington.
The Army colonel denied yelling and said she was under stress because of the alleged inappropriate behavior by Hyten. “In hindsight, I could have been much more levelheaded,” she said. “I could have. But to sit here and say I was a toxic leader is not true.”
In March 2018, Hyten signed off on a decision to relieve her of her duties. Later that year, she assumed a senior role at a different command and is expecting to retire as a colonel.
The other officer formerly on Hyten’s team, who lacked authorization to speak publicly, suggested that the Army colonel also raised allegations of a nonsexual nature against Hyten that weren’t substantiated. The colonel confirmed that as part of her appeal against the inquiry that lead to her dismissal, she had pointed out what she described as Hyten’s questionable travel and ethics issues. She said she provided statements to an inspector general investigation regarding those matters but didn’t know the outcome. The Post was not able to verify what resulted from those allegations.
The colonel denied that she had leveled any allegations as retribution for being relieved of her duties.
“I was ready to go to my grave with this because I didn’t want to have to deal with it,” she said. That changed when Hyten emerged as the president’s choice to replace Selva, she noted.
“I saw that nomination come out and I freaked out,” she said.
“I was like I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t and this happens to somebody else,” she added. “So that was a no-brainer for me.”
Hyten hasn’t spoken publicly about the matter. Pentagon officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the specifics of the allegations.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are now combing through the details of the case.
“Anytime there are allegations, it’s a concern,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said, exiting a meeting of senators on the panel, in which they were told of the findings of the investigation.
Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the panel, declined to say whether he intended to insist on hearing from the Army colonel.
“We are taking this step by step. The first step is getting the appropriate briefings from the investigations,” Reed said as he exited the same meeting.
Duckworth said Wednesday that committee members had not been given the full investigative report but were promised an unredacted copy.
Emerging from the meeting with Pentagon officials about the Hyten investigation, Duckworth said she continued to be concerned that Hyten “wasn’t removed from his position, or suspended from his position, when that has happened with previous high-ranking members of the military” facing similar charges.
Duckworth, who is an Army veteran, said she thought it would be important to hear from the Army colonel , though she said how hard Democrats would push for that would be left up to Reed.
But, Duckworth noted, “She’s been in touch with my office, and she’s been in touch with quite a few of our offices already.”
Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), a veteran of the Air Force who was sexually assaulted while serving, noted she had “a lot more questions” and was working through the materials officials had provided to the panel.
“I’m doing my due diligence,” she said, “like we should with everybody.”
Julie Tate contributed to this report.
https://time.com/5624131/officer-air-force-general-sexual-misconduct/
Senior Officer Accuses Air Force General of Sexual Misconduct
U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. John Hyten testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 11, 2019.
Andrew Harnik—AP
By LOLITA C. BALDOR / AP
July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON — A senior military officer has accused the Air Force general tapped to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of sexual misconduct, potentially jeopardizing his nomination. Members of Congress have raised questions about the allegations and the military investigation that found insufficient evidence to charge him.
The officer told The Associated Press that Gen. John Hyten subjected her to a series of unwanted sexual advances by kissing, hugging and rubbing up against her in 2017 while she was one of his aides. She said that he tried to derail her military career after she rebuffed him.
The Air Force investigated the woman’s allegations, which she reported days after Hyten’s nomination was announced in April, and found there was insufficient evidence to charge the general or recommend any administrative punishment. The alleged victim remains in the military but has moved to a different job.
“My life was ruined by this,” she told the AP.
The woman asked to not be identified by name. The AP routinely does not name victims of sexual assault.
The accusations against Hyten come at a time when the Pentagon has had an unusual amount of turmoil in its senior ranks, with only an acting defense secretary for the past six months. One of President Donald Trump’s nominees for that position recently withdrew after details of his contentious divorce surfaced. On Sunday, an admiral selected to be the top Navy officer withdrew due to what officials said was an inappropriate professional relationship.
TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers
For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year.
It’s unclear when, or if, Hyten’s confirmation hearing will move forward. It has not been scheduled, despite the fact that the current vice chairman, Gen. Paul Selva, is scheduled to retire at the end of the month.
Air Force Col. DeDe Halfhill, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said Wednesday that Hyten’s nomination remains on course.
“With more than 38 years of service to our nation, Gen. Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot,” she said.
A senior Air Force official said investigators went through emails, conducted interviews and pursued every lead, but did not uncover evidence to support the allegations. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, added that they also found no evidence that the woman was lying.
Last month, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter to acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper asking why Hyten was not removed from his post amid the investigation. The letter, obtained by the AP, raised questions about whether he received special treatment.
The woman making the allegations said she, too, wonders if Hyten received special treatment because of his rank, and she fears her honesty and motives will be questioned because of the circumstances and timing of her allegations.
The woman began working for Hyten in November 2016. Though he is an Air Force general, she is in another military branch, which she asked the AP not to disclose.
The officer said the unwanted sexual contact, kissing and hugging began in early 2017 and recurred several times throughout that year when she was working closely with Hyten. She said she repeatedly pushed him away and told him to stop.
In December 2017, when they were in southern California for the annual Reagan National Defense Forum, Hyten came into her room wearing workout clothes and hugged her tightly and rubbed up against her, according to the woman. She said she told him to leave.
Hyten then asked the woman if she was going to report him. She said she told him no.
The woman said she didn’t report the incidents at the time in order to avoid embarrassment, and out of fear of retaliation. She was also thinking about retiring, and believed Hyten was as well, so she concluded that he would not pose a risk to any other service members.
She later learned that she was under investigation by Strategic Command for what officials said was “toxic” leadership behavior.
That allegation surprised her, she says, because Hyten was familiar with her leadership style and “encouraged” it. He had given her glowing performance reviews, some of which were reviewed by the AP.
“I was not the most popular officer in the command. In fact, one could say I was not popular at all,” she said. “But I was very successful in turning around an organization.”
In her interview with the AP, she showed copies of performance reviews from Hyten in which she was ranked as the top officer out of 71 on his staff. Hyten wrote that she had “unlimited potential to lead and serve with distinction as a multi-star” general.
“Exceptionally competent and committed leader with the highest level of character,” Hyten wrote, adding that “her ethics are above reproach.”
The investigators issued her a letter of reprimand for her leadership and she was removed from her job at Strategic Command. She submitted her retirement.
But military officials in her branch of service determined her retirement was coerced and they rejected it. They then moved her to another senior job in the Washington area.
As she moved into her position, the officer received another negative evaluation by Hyten, which she appealed. During the appeals process, Hyten was nominated for the vice chairman position.
The woman said she decided she couldn’t live with the idea that Hyten might assault someone else if he was confirmed for the job. She reported the sexual misconduct to the Defense Department inspector general.
Because the charges involved criminal sexual assault, the case was referred to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and a formal investigation into Hyten was launched. Several weeks later, Gen. James Holmes, the officer in charge of the investigation, decided not to press charges.
Asked whether she has ever filed similar complaints, the officer said she was one of several who reported a commander for sexual harassment in 2007 in Iraq.
The woman told the AP she believes Hyten has committed “the perfect crime where no one will ever believe me.”
“I’ve already completed a successful career,” she said. “I had nothing to gain from doing this.”
Contact us at [email protected].
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/10/politics/hyten-cleared-assault-allegations/index.html
Air Force clears senior general of sexual misconduct allegations
By Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 0023 GMT (0823 HKT) July 11, 2019
(CNN)The Air Force has cleared President Donald Trump's nominee to become vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of allegations of sexual misconduct, a senior military official directly familiar with the investigation told CNN Wednesday.
The allegations surfaced in April shortly after four-star General John Hyten was nominated to be the President's second most senior military adviser.
The official said no evidence or information had been found to substantiate nine allegations made against Hyten by a junior female officer.
Two senior military officers confirmed to CNN that the officer has made similar allegations against other personnel in the past.
The Pentagon issued a statement saying: "After a comprehensive investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, there was insufficient evidence to support any finding of misconduct on the part of General Hyten. General Hyten has cooperated with the investigation. With more than 38 years of service to our nation General Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot."
CNN has not been able to speak to the officer who made the allegations against Hyten.
Questions have been raised about why a confirmation hearing for Hyten had not yet been scheduled, three months after he was nominated for the role.
Hyten, who would take over from Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, is currently the head of US Strategic Command, which is critical in monitoring nuclear testing and missile launches around the world and advising the President, if needed, on nuclear launch options for the US.
Officials tell CNN the allegations have caused dismay among dozens of officers who are uncertain if the administration will still support Hyten's nomination. There also questions over whether Hyten will want to proceed with a public confirmation hearing that may discuss the allegations even though the military has cleared him.
Senators briefed
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee were briefed on the results of the investigation on Wednesday morning. After that briefing took place a small number of reporters were briefed on the outcome as well.
In a June 25 letter to acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth -- who are both members of the committee -- criticized how the Air Force handled the case, saying "that he remains in command while under criminal investigation raises serious questions about whether the Department is affording General Hyten preferential treatment because of his rank and pending nomination."
It's not clear if Wednesday's briefing alleviated the concerns raised in the letter but a Senate staffer confirmed that Hyten's accuser has contacted members of the committee.
CNN has contacted members of the committee for their reaction to the briefing but has not heard back.
The Pentagon has not issued any formal statement on the status of Hyten's nomination. "We have not received any change in his status," said Col. DeDe Halfill, a Pentagon spokesperson.
The news of the investigation comes as the Pentagon continues to operate without a Senate-confirmed secretary of defense. Many other senior military positions remain unfilled or are filled by officials in acting roles.
Those vacancies are a reflection of the Department of Defense's ongoing struggle to establish an unprecedented transition plan aimed at ensuring continuity of leadership at the highest levels while there is still no confirmed secretary of defense following the dramatic implosion of Patrick Shanahan's nomination last month.
Nine allegations made
The investigation examined allegations made by the female officer concerning what she claimed were nine incidents that occurred between February 2017 and February 2018. The senior military official said, "In early April we received allegations of abusive sexual contact and inappropriate relationship against General Hyten" after his nomination was made public. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations initiated a criminal investigation on April 15."
The official noted that criminal investigations do not take a position on substantiating allegations but simply report evidence and facts learned. The evidence and facts were then reported to another four-star general who reviewed the report and had the authority to convene a court martial or engage in disciplinary action. That officer -- Gen. James Holmes, head of the Air Combat Command -- declined to take any action, ruling that there was insufficient evidence and facts to substantiate the allegations.
"The court martial convening authority considered the facts in the report and based on the advice of their counsel decided that there was insufficient evidence to profer any charges against General Hyten or to recommend administrative action against the general," the senior military official told reporters.
The senior official was adamant that the woman's allegations were taken seriously and procedures were followed and they also said no evidence was presented that warranted re-assigning Hyten during the investigation.
"Every single lead that we've been provided, we went and looked at it. Every single rock that we thought we should look under for investigative sufficiency just as a matter of practice, we've looked under. Anything that anyone pointed to and said you might want to do this or you might want to do that, to date we a have looked at," another senior official said.
"At this point, we've conducted an exhaustive investigation, talked to 53 witnesses across three countries and 13 states, reviewed tens of thousands of emails, interviewed folks that were closest to the alleged incidents, and we're just out of rocks to turn over, it's that exhaustive," they added.
CNN's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
