Thread by @cmclymer

In 2012, Air Force Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, an F-16 fighter pilot, was accused by a physician's assistant of sexually assaulting her in the guest bedroom of his home during a party he was hosting on Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy. (thread)

In November of that year, a four-person jury comprised of field grade Air Force officers like Wilkerson found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced him to a year in jail, discharge from the Air Force, and forfeiture of pay.

Wilkerson's commanding officer was Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin. According to reporting from @frontlinepbs, Franklin, upon learning of the conviction, immediately asked about Wilkerson's retirement benefits. He was told that a dismissal approval would nullify retirement.

As commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Franklin would have final approval on the sentencing recommendations because that's how it's done in the military justice system. Four months later, Franklin overturned the conviction, reinstated Wilkerson, and argued for his promotion. All legal.

Yes, you read that right: a conviction of sexual assault reached by an unanimous jury of fellow military officers was overturned by the commanding general of the convicted sexual assailant without merited justification. And it was all by the book.

This is not uncommon! In fact, Lt. Gen. Franklin did it twice that year. Not long after dismissing the conviction of Wilkerson, he also intervened in the case of a junior enlisted service member who was accused of raping a sergeant, declining to pursue a prosecution.

So, what can be done here? How is this blatant injustice addressed?

Enter Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) and Rep Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier), who have been working tirelessly with advocates for many years to overturn this aspect of the military justice system.

Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Speier were sounding the alarm on this issue long before the #MeToo discourse, calling on their colleagues to ensure all service members are protected by a justice system that doesn't permit rapists and sexual assailants to get away with horrific crimes.

Tonight, they scored a major victory. The House just passed a defense policy bill that included a provision replacing commanders with independent military prosecutors in determining whether a number of major crimes, including rape and sexual assault, can be prosecuted.

Does it go far enough? Not nearly. For example, commanders will still have the authority to "conduct the trials, choose jury members, grant immunity and approve witnesses", based on reporting from @jestei of NYT. nytimes.com/2021/12/07/us/…

But this is a huge moment for Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Speier, @ProtectRDfnders, numerous other advocates, and the countess survivors of sex crimes who have been silenced in the ranks or found nowhere to turn for justice. There's still work to be done but let's honor them.

/thread

Sources for further reading:

1. nytimes.com/2021/12/07/us/…

2. theguardian.com/world/2013/oct…

3. reuters.com/article/us-usa…

4. pbs.org/wgbh/frontline…