Alaska National Guard Sex Abuse Scandal Threatens GOP Governor's Re-election
WASHINGTON -- The Alaska National Guard is facing down some grave allegations: A recruiter trying to give alcohol to high school girls, botched responses to sexual assault complaints, embezzlement, a former porn company owner keeping his job despite military investigators finding that he failed to respond to sexual assault, and whistleblowers terrified to speak out.
The alleged misconduct, detailed in an assessment by the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations and in investigations by local news outlets, is threatening the re-election bid of incumbent Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell (R). The governor, who is commander in chief of the Guard, fired three top officials from the military unit this week. His office has said that he took action each time he was made aware of misconduct, and that he was ultimately misled by his top general.
But Parnell's critics -- including whistleblowers and victims -- claim that his office failed to do enough to respond to allegations of abuse over several years. Local news outlets are now suing the governor's office to get access to internal emails that may show how much Parnell knew about the allegations, and what he did in response.
Last month, at Parnell's request, the Office of Complex Investigations released a scathing report on how the Alaska Guard has handled misconduct, detailing some of the allegations. Following the report, Parnell requested the resignation of the Guard's top general, Maj. Gen. Thomas Katkus. Parnell has since fired additional officials.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/gop-alaska-governor_n_6024862.html
