Thread by @rgoodlaw

This has to be one of most effective analytic takedowns of another side's argument.

Jeh Johnson wrote a deeply flawed piece opposing @SenGillibrand @SenJoniErnst's legislation on #SexualAssault in military.

This by @rachelv12 is a master class.👇

justsecurity.org/77025/professi…

2. One example

Johnson rhetorically claims: "A military commander must have legal authority over those in a unit...The two must be inseparable."

VanLandingham with the facts: "Demonstrably false given the thousands of U.S. military commanders" without any such legal authority.

3. "Mr. Johnson...warns that Congress shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken, and should leave everything but sexual assault crimes alone.

Fact: Court-martialing Black service members at a rate twice that of their white counterparts is a broken system in need of repair. Period."

4. VanLandingham shows flaw in Johnson and @SenJackReed (D-#RhodeIsland) suggestion that military set up "pink courts" just for #SexualAssault and abandon the legislation

Would "create a system less able to effectively hold accountable sexual assault offenders than exists today"

5. Senators Gillibrand and Ernst's legislation has 66 co-sponsors and more than 70 total supporters in the Senate, including Schumer and McConnell.

It is being blocked by these two Senators.

@SenJackReed (D-#RhodeIsland)
@JimInhofe (R-#Oklahoma)

nytimes.com/2021/06/19/opi…