Coast Guard's handling of misconduct allegations draws increased scrutiny from Congress

Members of both parties in both houses of Congress criticized the U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday for allegedly withholding documents requested as part of investigations into the military branch's handling of misconduct, particularly sexual assault.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's investigating subcommittee held a hearing with Coast Guard Commander Linda Fagan, during which the committee chair called the sexual assault and harassment in the armed forces a “current, ongoing, persistent and unacceptably prevalent problem”.

“Mishandling of abuse complaints appears intolerably common. We have received reports from nearly 40 whistleblowers over the past several months that attest to this ongoing problem,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “Unfortunately, the evidence indicates that a culture of cover-up continues, as evidenced by the resistance to producing for us documents that very specifically and very importantly should be part of this investigation. »

Fagan said she is committed to “lasting cultural change” and that the Coast Guard reviewed nearly two million pages and provided all relevant documents to the subcommittee, totaling more than 18,000 pages.

Blumenthal, however, complained that the Coast Guard would not provide documents deemed “sensitive,” which he interpreted to mean “embarrassing,” and accused the military branch of throwing away hard-to-decipher documents. the day before the hearing.

Ranking Member Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he expects subpoenas will be necessary.

“I was hoping that the assurances that were given to us months ago that everyone in the Coast Guard (was) going to be completely transparent, that they had to change the culture and they recognized that the only way to change culture requires disclosure and accountability. , I wish all of this were true. But it didn’t turn out that way,” Johnson said.

As senators questioned Fagan, leaders of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee sent him a letter asking why the Coast Guard had not sent more documents to the committee as part of its own investigation into management by the force of cases of racism, hazing, discrimination, sexuality. harassment, sexual assault and other misconduct.

According to the letter, the Coast Guard provided approximately 8,300 pages of documents in response to congressional requests sent on July 13 and December 8, 2023. But the service previously told the committee that it had “1.8 million pages potentially reactive documents. .”

House committee leaders also criticized the armed forces for refusing to notify them of plans to send additional documents to investigators and said they had heard from whistleblowers who “came forward to recount traumatic experiences and which revealed additional cultural deficiencies and allegations of incompetence and misconduct on the part of the military.” current and former USCG leaders.

They set a deadline for the Coast Guard to fully comply with their requests for information by June 25.

The letter was signed by full committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., full committee member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the chairman of the subcommittee on National Security, Borders and Foreign Affairs, Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., and the subcommittee ranking. Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif.

The Coast Guard said Government Executive in a statement that he will provide a formal response to the letter and is “committed to transparency and allowing Congress the opportunity to provide appropriate oversight.”

Both congressional investigations were prompted by a June 2023 CNN report that the U.S. Coast Guard launched an investigation in 2014 called Operation Fouled Anchor into alleged sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy between the late 1990s. 1980 and 2006. The investigation, which she kept secret from Congress. , “found that school leaders routinely failed to report serious allegations to law enforcement, thereby intentionally avoiding the criminal justice system. »

Additionally, Shannon Norenberg, former sexual assault response coordinator at the Coast Guard Academy, posted a blog Sunday in which she claims the Coast Guard did not offer victims interviewed as part of the Fouled Anchor operation of forms that would allow them to obtain more easily. Department of Veterans Affairs services for trauma related to their sexual assault because it would increase the number of sexual assault cases reported to the academy.

Testifying before the investigations subcommittee, Fagan said Norenberg's allegations would be part of an ongoing inspector general investigation.