House GOP contender claims opponent, Politico pubbed details of Iraq sex assault to discredit her

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

House GOP contender claims opponent, Politico pubbed details of Iraq sex assault to discredit her

By

Mark Moore

October 10, 2022 1:43pm

 

An Iraq War veteran running for Congress in Indiana has accused her Democratic opponent and Politico of “illegally” revealing details of her sexual assault in order to paint her as a “failed military officer.”

Jennifer-Ruth Green, who is running against Rep. Frank Mrvan in Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, was profiled by reporter Adam Wren in a Friday article that noted she was one of 15 black female cadets who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2005 and was assigned to a special investigations unit in Iraq working to neutralize terrorist and espionage threats. 

During a visit to Iraq’s national training center with other officers, Green left the group to climb a guard tower and was confronted by an Iraqi serviceman who grabbed her breast and exposed himself, the report said, citing official records.

An evaluation of the incident faulted Green for “wandering away” from the group, the report added, and the criticism hindered her ability to rise in the ranks.

Green, who Politico reported has since joined the Indiana Air National Guard and received “consistently high evaluations,” acknowledged the incident and accused Mrvan’s campaign of trying to smear her. 

“I’m a survivor of sexual trauma in the military. I am being forced to share this information outside of my own timeline and for the first time publicly because my Congressman, Frank Mrvan, and his cronies illegally obtained my military records describing my sexual assault,” Green said in a statement released on Twitter Sunday.

“His team fished the details of my assault to different news outlets, asking them to share misinformation to portray me as a failed military officer who lacks integrity. This is false,” she continued. 

Green also said she believes her military career was “intentionally derailed” after she reported the assault despite being advised by some in her unit to keep it quiet.

“The paperwork Congressman Mrvan illegally obtained contains information that reflects me in a negative light,” she said.

Green said she has appealed the incident with the military and it has been settled.

The candidate also said she has written to the local US attorney, the Air Force inspector general and the Pentagon to ask them to launch a criminal investigation into the release of her personnel file. 

“I am saddened to have to share publicly one of the most private events of my life, and I’m even more saddened that Congressman Mrvan … would engage in or tolerate this despicable behavior from his campaign and his allies. It’s unacceptable for every vet, it’s unacceptable for every woman, and it’s unacceptable for anyone who has ever been a victim of sexual assault,” she said. 

Mrvan’s offices in Washington, DC, and Indiana did not respond to requests for comment. 

Green told Fox News Digital that Politico ignored her appeals not to publish the information about the sexual assault.

“They did what they wanted, got what they wanted,” Green said, adding that the outlet used the information “despite having clear interaction and engagement and telling them that the records were illegally obtained.”

Politico told Fox News Digital in a statement that the records related to Green were “publicly available documents” and that Green’s campaign cooperated with the story and provided additional documents from her military career. 

“This story is an incredibly nuanced, deeply reported piece that looks at the totality of Ms. Green’s military career, which her team has placed at the forefront of her campaign,” said Brad Dayspring, Politico vice president of marketing and communications.

“The military records in question are publicly available documents that can be obtained by a standard FOIA request,” he added.

According to the National Archives website, the public can only access certain information from official military personnel files — including a veteran’s name, branch of service, dates of service, final rank, military education level, eligibility for awards and decorations, and court-martial transcripts — without violating living individuals’ privacy. The release of other information must be authorized by the veteran or their next of kin if they are dead.

The 1st District, located in northwestern Indiana and covering the heavily Democratic cities of Gary and Hammond, has not elected a Republican to Congress since 1928. Mrvan was elected in 2020 to succeed the retiring Pete Visclosky, who was first elected to the House in 1984.

https://nypost.com/2022/10/10/house-gop-contender-jennifer-ruth-green-claims-opponent-leaked-records-of-iraq-sex-assault-to-discredit-her/

The Politico vp of marketing and communications is wrong. As the article states and links to the National Archives website, the public can only access certain information from military records. It does not include records for sexual assault. Somehow though Politico obtained those records and published them against Green's consent.

[AUFAN78 3,943]

Win at all costs. Shameful.

[arein0 983]

Lots of wrong in this story. It is wrong both that the military blamed her and that her opposition is using that incident against her.

"An evaluation of the incident faulted Green for “wandering away” from the group, the report added, and the criticism hindered her ability to rise in the ranks."

 

[homersapien 11,513]

12 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

Win at all costs. Shameful.

Glad to see you accept her claim by default with no further evidence. 

Perhaps you're becoming "woke". 

[CoffeeTiger 5,228]

So i don't see how she thinks this reflects poorly on her? 

It appears like she was sexually assaulted and then punished for it by a misogynistic military structure. 

 

Is she mad because she thinks it's too "woke" and "liberal" to complain about sexual assault or to acknowledge toxic masculinity in our military? Is it because the reality of her situation maybe contradicts what she says she believes? 

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

6 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

So i don't see how she thinks this reflects poorly on her? 

It appears like she was sexually assaulted and then punished for it by a misogynistic military structure. 

 

Is she mad because she thinks it's too "woke" and "liberal" to complain about sexual assault or to acknowledge toxic masculinity in our military? Is it because the reality of her situation maybe contradicts what she says she believes? 

But she's never brought up her sexual assault until Politico decided to run a story on her and somehow obtained those records.

[AUFAN78 3,943]

12 hours ago, homersapien said:

Glad to see you accept her claim by default with no further evidence. 

Perhaps you're becoming "woke". 

What solid evidence do you have otherwise?

[AUFAN78 3,943]

11 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

So i don't see how she thinks this reflects poorly on her? 

It appears like she was sexually assaulted and then punished for it by a misogynistic military structure. 

 

Is she mad because she thinks it's too "woke" and "liberal" to complain about sexual assault or to acknowledge toxic masculinity in our military? Is it because the reality of her situation maybe contradicts what she says she believes? 

Read the story. 

[AUFAN78 3,943]

12 hours ago, homersapien said:

Glad to see you accept her claim by default with no further evidence. 

Perhaps you're becoming "woke". 

According to the National Archives website, the public can only access certain information from official military personnel files — including a veteran’s name, branch of service, dates of service, final rank, military education level, eligibility for awards and decorations, and court-martial transcripts — without violating living individuals’ privacy. The release of other information must be authorized by the veteran or their next of kin if they are dead.

[icanthearyou 4,464]

Why would this discredit her?  I would think it would make her a more sympathetic figure.

[aubiefifty 17,107]

for those highlighting in black just stop. that mess is so hard to read.

[Leftfield 2,716]

2 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

for those highlighting in black just stop. that mess is so hard to read.

Just hit the half-moon symbol at the top of the page.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Air Force docs on GOP candidate’s sexual assault leaked to Democratic research firm: lawmakers

By

Caitlin Doornbos

October 26, 2022 7:00pm

Updated

 

The Air Force will “hold accountable” whoever leaked confidential records holding private information about the sexual assault of a Republican House candidate and former officer, two GOP congressmen said Wednesday.

Reps. Jim Banks and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) said in a joint statement that Air Force watchdog Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis had told them the service took “full responsibility” for the release of Jennifer-Ruth Green’s confidential personnel records to an unnamed political research firm.

“On yesterday’s [Tuesday’s] call, the Air Force took full responsibility for improperly releasing Lt. Col. Green’s confidential personnel records to an opposition research firm just weeks before the midterm election,” the congressmen said. “Lt. Gen. Davis informed us that the leaker has been identified and will be held accountable.”

The document also made its way to Politico reporter Adam Wren, who published the information in an Oct. 7 profile of Green despite her pleas to keep the assault private. Politico spokesman Brad Dayspring told The Post Tuesday that the documents were “obtained by a public record request and provided to Politico by a source.”

“We said, ‘No, please don’t [publish the assault] – and they did it anyway,” Green said of Politico and Wren during an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month. “At one point in my life I said to my assailant, ‘No, please stop, don’t’ and he did what he wanted to do. This is the exact same situation all over again, all because there was a man who wanted some sort of gratification.”

The assault happened while Green was assigned to a special investigations unit in Iraq working to neutralize terrorist and espionage threats, Politico wrote. An evaluation of the incident faulted Green for “wandering away” from the group, the report added, and the criticism hindered her ability to rise in the ranks.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Bucshon and Banks called on them to “publicly take responsibility for mishandling Lt. Col. Green’s service records.”

“No service member should have to fear their confidential service records will be used against them,” the congressmen said. “The Air Force must take immediate steps toward transparency for the sake of all veterans and service members.”

After Green was outed, she accused incumbent Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan of “fishing” her assault story to news outlets, “asking them to share misinformation to portray me as a failed military officer who lacks integrity.” 

The day after the information was published, Green told Fox News Digital she suspected Politico would have handled the situation differently if she were a Democrat.

“If I were on the other side of the ticket, they would weep for me; they would mourn for me,” she told the outlet. “Only because I’m a Republican do they feel this is acceptable – but it’s unacceptable for every vet. It’s unacceptable for every woman. It’s unacceptable for everybody who has ever been a victim of sexual assault.”

Banks and Bucshon said an investigation has been launched to determine “whether the leaker had a political or financial motive” or had an accomplice in the report’s dissemination.

“The Air Force completed its preliminary investigation and is currently investigating whether the leaker had a political or financial motive, whether the leaker acted alone, and if the Air Force needs to strengthen policies related to its handling of confidential records,” they said in their statement.

News of the investigation comes after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sent an Oct. 13 letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Daniel Hokanson requesting a full accounting of how Politico obtained Green’s protected records.

“Of additional concern is the appearance that the party responsible for releasing these Air Force documents may be exploiting private matters, including a sexual assault, for partisan purposes to interfere in the democratic process just weeks before an election,” Cotton wrote.

https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/air-force-docs-on-gop-candidates-assault-leaked-to-dem-shop/

So now it's confirmed that this wasn't public record and couldn't have been obtained through a FOIA like Politico tried to spin. It was obtained by an opposition research firm from a leak by the Air Force.

[pensacolatiger 313]

On 10/10/2022 at 4:58 PM, Auburnfan91 said:

House GOP contender claims opponent, Politico pubbed details of Iraq sex assault to discredit her

By

Mark Moore

October 10, 2022 1:43pm

 

An Iraq War veteran running for Congress in Indiana has accused her Democratic opponent and Politico of “illegally” revealing details of her sexual assault in order to paint her as a “failed military officer.”

Jennifer-Ruth Green, who is running against Rep. Frank Mrvan in Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, was profiled by reporter Adam Wren in a Friday article that noted she was one of 15 black female cadets who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2005 and was assigned to a special investigations unit in Iraq working to neutralize terrorist and espionage threats. 

During a visit to Iraq’s national training center with other officers, Green left the group to climb a guard tower and was confronted by an Iraqi serviceman who grabbed her breast and exposed himself, the report said, citing official records.

An evaluation of the incident faulted Green for “wandering away” from the group, the report added, and the criticism hindered her ability to rise in the ranks.

Green, who Politico reported has since joined the Indiana Air National Guard and received “consistently high evaluations,” acknowledged the incident and accused Mrvan’s campaign of trying to smear her. 

“I’m a survivor of sexual trauma in the military. I am being forced to share this information outside of my own timeline and for the first time publicly because my Congressman, Frank Mrvan, and his cronies illegally obtained my military records describing my sexual assault,” Green said in a statement released on Twitter Sunday.

“His team fished the details of my assault to different news outlets, asking them to share misinformation to portray me as a failed military officer who lacks integrity. This is false,” she continued. 

Green also said she believes her military career was “intentionally derailed” after she reported the assault despite being advised by some in her unit to keep it quiet.

“The paperwork Congressman Mrvan illegally obtained contains information that reflects me in a negative light,” she said.

Green said she has appealed the incident with the military and it has been settled.

The candidate also said she has written to the local US attorney, the Air Force inspector general and the Pentagon to ask them to launch a criminal investigation into the release of her personnel file. 

“I am saddened to have to share publicly one of the most private events of my life, and I’m even more saddened that Congressman Mrvan … would engage in or tolerate this despicable behavior from his campaign and his allies. It’s unacceptable for every vet, it’s unacceptable for every woman, and it’s unacceptable for anyone who has ever been a victim of sexual assault,” she said. 

Mrvan’s offices in Washington, DC, and Indiana did not respond to requests for comment. 

Green told Fox News Digital that Politico ignored her appeals not to publish the information about the sexual assault.

“They did what they wanted, got what they wanted,” Green said, adding that the outlet used the information “despite having clear interaction and engagement and telling them that the records were illegally obtained.”

Politico told Fox News Digital in a statement that the records related to Green were “publicly available documents” and that Green’s campaign cooperated with the story and provided additional documents from her military career. 

“This story is an incredibly nuanced, deeply reported piece that looks at the totality of Ms. Green’s military career, which her team has placed at the forefront of her campaign,” said Brad Dayspring, Politico vice president of marketing and communications.

“The military records in question are publicly available documents that can be obtained by a standard FOIA request,” he added.

According to the National Archives website, the public can only access certain information from official military personnel files — including a veteran’s name, branch of service, dates of service, final rank, military education level, eligibility for awards and decorations, and court-martial transcripts — without violating living individuals’ privacy. The release of other information must be authorized by the veteran or their next of kin if they are dead.

The 1st District, located in northwestern Indiana and covering the heavily Democratic cities of Gary and Hammond, has not elected a Republican to Congress since 1928. Mrvan was elected in 2020 to succeed the retiring Pete Visclosky, who was first elected to the House in 1984.

https://nypost.com/2022/10/10/house-gop-contender-jennifer-ruth-green-claims-opponent-leaked-records-of-iraq-sex-assault-to-discredit-her/

The Politico vp of marketing and communications is wrong. As the article states and links to the National Archives website, the public can only access certain information from military records. It does not include records for sexual assault. Somehow though Politico obtained those records and published them against Green's consent.

Sounds like the same party that allied it’s self with communist terrorists and burned down any city they could

[DKW 86 7,481]

How stupid do you have to be to pretend you can’t see Mrvan and Politico dirty trick politics here.  They victimize a black female that demanded her personal military records not be made public? 
 

Was it because she was black or female or both?

[DKW 86 7,481]

On 10/12/2022 at 9:29 AM, icanthearyou said:

Why would this discredit her?  I would think it would make her a more sympathetic figure.

So why are Mrvan and Politico trying to smear her with it?

[homersapien 11,513]

On 10/10/2022 at 11:07 PM, AUFAN78 said:

Win at all costs. Shameful.

Which side are you referring to?

[DKW 86 7,481]

https://autos.yahoo.com/pelosi-dem-leadership-stand-sexual-183924235.html

Pelosi, Dem leadership say they stand with sexual assault survivors, but mum after Politico outs GOP candidate

Brandon Gillespie, Aubrie Spady

October 10, 2022·3 min read

 

 

Democratic House leadership won't say if they take issue with Politico's decision to publish details of a Republican congressional nominee's sexual assault without her permission.

Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, R-Md., and House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., to ask what they thought about a Politico report that detailed the sexual assault of GOP candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green, and to ask if they think it is ever appropriate for the press to out a victim of sexual assault. None responded.

When you want to know why half of America hates the DNC, right here is your answer. Anything is perfectly acceptable to hold on to a seat in Congress. All they should of done is say: "While we support Mrvan, we oppose the making public the details of one woman's sexual assault by illegally publishing her private military records." End of story. But no, Team Blue shows its true colors and AGAIN makes the victim of sexual assault the victim of doxing her private personal records. Politico is lying. No one can get these records from a FOIA request.

Politico, in a piece written by Adam Wren, published the details about Green’s sexual assault, obtained from a military personnel document, last Friday in a profile piece covering her race as she seeks to unseat incumbent Democratic Congressman Frank Mrvan in Indiana’s 1st Congressional District.

Green, who spoke Sunday exclusively with Fox News Digital, criticized Politico for ignoring what she says were pleas to the beltway publication asking them to not include details of her assault. Politico contends they received the military records from someone unaffiliated with her opponent's campaign who got them from a FOIA request. Green said she believes the documents were "illegally" obtained.

JENNIFER-RUTH GREEN TAKES AIM AT POLITICAL OPPOSITION AFTER POLITICO PUBLISHES RECORDS OF HER SEXUAL ASSAULT

The Democrats' silence surrounding Green runs in stark contrast to their previous statements about women who’ve experienced sexual assault.

JENNIFER-RUTH GREEN TAKES AIM AT POLITICAL OPPOSITION AFTER POLITICO PUBLISHES RECORDS OF HER SEXUAL ASSAULT

Pelosi has consistently said she supports survivors of sexual assault, including in one instance last year when she tweeted, "As we close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recommit to combating sexual violence & demanding accountability. Congress stands with survivors and will honor their strength by working to advance a future that is free from violence & assault for all."

VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO!

[DKW 86 7,481]

6 hours ago, homersapien said:

Which side are you referring to?

Not even you are this fín stupid...

Here it is folks. Watch Team Blue stick their heads in the sand and PRETEND that what everyone sees here did not happen...

 

[AUDub 11,204]

What happened to Ms. Ruth-Green is shameful, but something about this stinks...

[AUDub 11,204]

This is what makes me suspicious: For Mrvan to release the info, there was little to gain and a lot to lose because it would cause a firestorm of criticism from Republicans and absolutely turn off independents. It would just have been an incredibly stupid thing to do, and he's an experienced pol unlikely to make such a foolish move in a race he's dominating. 

Politico did make it clear that no one associated Mrvan's campaign had anything to do with it. 

Edited October 28, 2022 by AUDub

[homersapien 11,513]

14 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

Not even you are this fín stupid...

Here it is folks. Watch Team Blue stick their heads in the sand and PRETEND that what everyone sees here did not happen...

 

I am not so stupid as to make hard conclusions about something I know very little about.  In fact, I am not even going to make assumptions until more facts are known.

First, We don't know who gave this information to Politico or for what reason.  For example, what was the status of the political race between Ruth-Green and Mrvn? Is it even possible that Ruth-Green's campaign figured this could be the sort of "hail Mary" maneuver that might sway the polls in her favor? 

Considering the vehement reaction and unproven accusations  of various Republican politicians hyping this thesis, that's not impossible.

Also, if the story that is being pushed - that Mrvn orchestrated this as an effort to damage Ruth-Greene - is true, it would be a truly stupid thing for him to do, as this reactive furor proves, especially if he was ahead in the polls. 

(See Dub's post above.)

And frankly, I think the personal harm to Ruth-Green's psychology is being over-hyped. She got groped, not raped.  I am not going to claim I understand the trauma or fear such an incident might have produced, but it doesn't sound (to me) like the sort of thing that such a strong, confident woman simply couldn't bear to have made public.

Ruth-Greene was tough enough to join the army and serve in Iraq. The sexual assault happened, and she survived it.  Seems to me it would be to her advantage to publicize her story. It would only make her look stronger.   

After all, there have been plenty of women who have readily revealed that such transgressions have happened to them (the "me too" movement). 

So, methinks she doth protest too much, especially considering the political benefit she is receiving from this.

But she certainly has a right to her privacy and I support the investigation to get to the bottom of who is responsible.

And if it turns out that Mrvn was behind this, we need to know. And the political - and possibly legal consequences - should follow. (Again, that's exactly why I think it's unlikely this occurred the way Republicans are trying to hype it.)

So, I'll reserve my judgement until I know the facts. 

(And I suspect that's exactly the same reason Pelosi declined to comment.)  

I'll give Republicans credit though, they certainly know how to play both sides simultaneously.  First, they criticize Democrats for being too "woke", then they accuse Democrats of trying to capitalize on exposing an incident of sexual harassment for political reasons.  (Not to mention their champion for president has admitted to be the perpetrator of such groping.  They don't seem to have a problem with that.)

Meanwhile, David, feel free to set your hair on fire. 

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by homersapien

[icanthearyou 4,464]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

I am not so stupid as to make hard conclusions about something I know very little about.  In fact, I am not even going to make assumptions until more facts are known.

Thank you.

[aubiefifty 17,107]

On 10/10/2022 at 10:07 PM, AUFAN78 said:

Win at all costs. Shameful.

hey at least we did not beat her head in with a hammer.you people have no shame so pardon me if i do not get upset with what happened because we do not know for sure. and the main theme for repubs is lie lie lie..................

[AUDub 11,204]

8 hours ago, homersapien said:

(See Dub's post above.)

I mean, it's possible someone really did something this pants on head stupid, but it strains credulity with what's been made public.