National Security

Group charges Pentagon misled Congress on sex assault stats

By Jacqueline Klimas
Published April 18, 2016 4:10pm ET
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Group charges Pentagon misled Congress on sex assault stats
The group examined 93 cases the Pentagon claimed proved that commanders were more aggressive than civilian prosecutors in getting justice for victims of sexual assault. Of those, the investigation found "no evidence that any case was prosecuted at the 'insistence' of a commander," a summary of the report said. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) | Patrick Semansky

The Pentagon may have misled Congress in order to block reforms to the military justice system for victims of sexual assault, according to a report released Monday by an advocacy group.

Protect Our Defenders, which advocates for sexual assault victims in the military, investigated the military’s claims in 2013 that in some cases civilian lawyers refused to prosecute reported assaults, but military commanders insisted that they be referred to a military court.

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Claire McCaskill Congress Jacqueline Klimas Kirsten Gillibrand Minusextra Pentagon Sexual Assault