Today Senator Blumenthal raises concerns regarding the decision by leaders to withhold documents submitted to the subcommittee investigating alleged mishandling of sexual assault claims.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal Friday shared documents that he says shows the internal discussion at the Coast Guard about releasing details from operation “Foul Anchor.”
“The decision was made to conceal the report of sexual assault, and the failure to investigate it in the Coast Guard,” Blumenthal said.
He says the paperwork is from 2018 and shows reasons for and against sharing the "Foul Anchor" report that details sexual assault investigations at the Coast Guard Academy in New London. Blumenthal is on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and the congressional team is looking into why the information was never made public. Blumenthal says the committee recently received the documents as part of its own investigation.
“To put it bluntly, the Coast Guard embarked on a purposeful strategy of concealment,” he said.
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In December, current and former members of the academy testified about their experiences with sexual assault and harassment.
“The short of my story is that I was groped several times, sometimes with 30 laughing witnesses,” said former USCG Academy Cadet Caitlin Maro. “And it just became so heavy that I decided to leave. I was like ‘there’s no way I’m going to be able to function without support from my shipmates.’”
Friday, the Coast Guard said in a statement to NBC Connecticut that sexual harassment and assault had no place in the Coast Guard:
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“The service is working aggressively to prevent these and other abuses, hold members accountable, listen to and support victims and survivors, and strengthen the service’s culture and commitment to our core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty.”
It goes on to say they regret not turning over the 2020 report into investigations of prior sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy, and that Commandant Linda Fagan, the head of the Coast Guard who took over in 2022, vowed transparency throughout the inquiries.
