Schakowsky Urges Justice Department to Complete Rape Investigation

SCHAKOWSKY URGES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO
COMPLETE RAPE INVESTIGATION

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, released the following statement today in response to news reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has not completed its investigation into a gang rape incident that occurred two years ago involving KBR employees in Iraq. Schakowsky joined Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) in asking the Justice Department to complete its investigation into this incident.

"It is completely inexcusable that the Department of Justice has been sitting on this rape case for over two years without any resolution. This latest incident is just another example of Justice Department's inability to complete an investigation into possible wrongdoing by private contractors. The Justice Department still hasn't completed its investigation into last year's infamous Christmas Eve shooting in Baghdad. The Department needs to stop dragging its feet and complete both of these investigations immediately so we can bring these people to justice.

Our government also needs to crackdown on private contractors to prevent these incidents from happening again in the future. For far too long, our government has allowed them to run roughshod over our laws. These abuses need to stop and the culture of "anything goes... needs to end. No private contractor, whether they serve food to our troops or protect a State Department official, is above the law. We cannot allow people that work for the U.S. government to get away with rape, torture, or murder.

I support Chairman Conyers' and Rep. Poe's efforts to get to the bottom of this incident. No American, especially a woman that has suffered such a painful violation, should have to wait two years for her abusers to be brought to justice....