Also see:
AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout Communications •
Go to Original
Pentagon Won't Probe KBR Rape Charges
By Justin Rood
ABC News
Tuesday 08 January 2008
DoD IG says the Justice Dept. is still
investigating the alleged gang-rape.
The Defense Department's top watchdog has declined to investigate allegations
that an American woman working under an Army contract in Iraq was raped by her
co-workers.
The case of former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones gained national
attention last month. An ABC News investigation revealed how an earlier investigation
into Jones' alleged gang-rape in 2005 had not resulted in any prosecution, and
that neither Jones nor Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been able to
get answers from the Bush administration on the state of her case.
In letters to lawmakers, DoD Inspector General Claude Kicklighter said that
because the Justice Department still considers the investigation into Jones'
case open, there is no need for him to look into the matter.
"[T]he U.S. Justice Department has issued a statement that they are investigating
the allegations," wrote Kicklighter's office to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.,
who had requested he look into the matter. "No further investigation by
this agency into the allegations made by [Jones] is warranted."
"We're not satisfied with that," a Nelson spokesman said.
Jones' lawyers also professed disappointment. "How could the Department
of Defense refuse to help [Jones]?'" asked attorney Stephanie Morris, who
noted that the criminal investigation into Jones' allegations has been going
on for more than two and a half years, without apparent results.
Despite deferring to the Justice Department, Kicklighter's office told Nelson
it was willing to pursue other questions Nelson raised about Jones' case. Kicklighter
agreed to explore "whether and why" a U.S. Army doctor handed to KBR
security officials the results of Jones' medical examination, a so-called "rape
kit," which would have contained evidence of the crime if it had occurred.
In a separate letter, Kicklighter's office said that the State Department had
said its security officials had Jones' rape kit in their possession at one point.
The State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security told Kicklighter "evidence
in the rape kit was collected by a U.S. Army doctor and was later provided to
[the Bureau of Diplomatic Security]," the IG's office wrote to Sen. Daniel
Akaka, D-Alaska, who had asked about Jones' case.
An Army spokesman referred questions about the rape kit to the State Department,
which did not respond to a request for comment.
Halliburton/KBR, a Houston, Texas-based government contractor once led by Vice
President Dick Cheney, employed Jones until shortly after her alleged assault.
Halliburton spun off KBR last year. Jones has since filed suit against KBR and
Halliburton. Halliburton says they have been wrongly named in the suit; KBR
has maintained that "the safety and security of all employees remains KBR's
top priority," it said in a statement. "Our commitment in this regard
is unwavering."
Nelson and other lawmakers have also requested information on rape allegations
by Jones and others from the Department of State, which initially investigated
Jones' allegations, and the Department of Justice. To date, none have reported
receiving information.
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story