The Washington Post - 31.07.2019

A2 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 , 2019

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HAPPENING TODAY

For the latest updates all day, visit washingtonpost.com.

All day | President Trump welcomes Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin
Battulga to the White House. For developments, visit washingtonpost.com/
world.

11 a.m. | Vice President Pence speaks at a Young America’s Foundation
conference. Visit washingtonpost.com/national for details.

12:05 p.m. | The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves at
Nationals Park. Follow the game at postsports.com.

2:30 p.m. | Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell holds a news conference following
a Federal Open Market Committee meeting. For developments, visit
washingtonpost.com/business.

9 p.m. | The second group of Democratic presidential candidates
participates in a CNN debate in Detroit. Visit washingtonpost.com/politics
for details.

CORRECTIONS

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MISSISSIPPI

Two killed, officer hurt

in Walmart shooting

A gunman described as a
disgruntled Walmart employee
fatally shot two co-workers and
wounded a police officer before
he was shot and arrested Tuesday
at a Walmart store in northern
Mississippi, authorities said.
Southaven Police Chief Macon
Moore said the man, whom he
did not identify, shot a
Southaven police officer, who
was protected by a bulletproof
vest and suffered minor injuries.
The chief said a second
Southaven officer shot the
suspect, who was taken for
surgery to a hospital in Memphis
in neighboring Tennessee.
Both the people killed were
Walmart employees, Moore said.

Employees said the first was shot in the parking lot, and the second was shot inside the store. Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said the suspect had a grievance against his employer. Travis Jones, an overnight stocker, said he saw the body of store manager Anthony Brown on the floor as they ran out of the store. DeSoto County Coroner Joshua Pounders said Brown, 40, an Olive Branch resident, appeared to have died of a gunshot wound. Nicholas Gales said the other slain worker was his brother, Brandon Gales, 38, of Hernando. The shooting at about 6:30 a.m. brought a massive police response to the shopping complex, at a busy exit off Interstate 55 in Southaven, a

suburb of 55,000 people. — Associated Press

NORTH CAROLINA

Republican operative faces more charges

A ballot fraud investigation has produced new felony charges against the political operative at the center of a disputed North Carolina congressional election. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced Tuesday that Leslie McCrae Dowless was indicted on new charges related to the 2018 general election including perjury, obstruction of justice and absentee ballot possession. He and others were charged earlier this year with counts related to the 2016 general election and 2018 primary.

The new indictment alleges Dowless directed people to collect absentee ballots that hadn’t been properly completed by voters. Dowless had worked for a GOP candidate. The scandal resulted in state officials ordering a new 9th District election. The repeat election will be held this fall. — Associated Press

MINNESOTA

Judge orders release of Iraqi immigrant

A federal judge in Minnesota ruled Tuesday that an Iraqi man who has been in immigration custody for more than two years must be released while he awaits a final order for removal from the United States. Farass Adnan Ali, 35, of

Rochester, entered immigration custody in May 2017 and has been in immigration detention since July 2017. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Tuesday that the lengthy detention violates Ali’s constitutional rights and that he must be released within 30 days. Doty said Ali’s detention is based entirely on the attorney general’s discretionary authority. After two years in immigration court, it’s not clear when a final order of removal will be issued. Ali came to the country in 2014 legally as a refugee from Turkey and became a lawful permanent resident in July 2015. According to court documents, he was arrested in 2016 on suspicion of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and disorderly conduct. Those charges were dismissed, but the

arrest led to an immigration review. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took Ali into custody in May 2017, alleging that when he completed his immigration forms, he concealed his service in the Saddam Hussein regime’s elite Republican Guard. Ian Bratlie, an attorney for Ali, said Ali made a mistake on his immigration form but disclosed his military service on his refugee application. In addition, the FBI said Ali would be considered a national security threat, alleging that content on his social media accounts showed him making or considering making weapons and commenting favorably about the Islamic State’s activity in the Middle East and North Africa. — Associated Press

DIGEST

BY KAROUN DEMIRJIAN

The two rape survivors who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee split sharply Tuesday over President Trump’s pick to be the military’s second-highest officer, amid accusations that he sexually assaulted an Army colonel when she was under his command. “Sexual assault happens in the military. It just didn’t happen in this case,” Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) said in defense of Gen. John Hyten at his confirmation hearing, arguing that the case “wasn’t just a jump ball, not a he-said, she-said” but that “the full truth was revealed in this process.” “The truth is that General Hyten is innocent of these charges,” she said. But Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said the facts of the investigation “left me with concerns regarding your judgment, leadership and fitness to serve as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” Hyten, who is in charge of the nation’s nuclear arsenal as the head of U.S. Strategic Command, was nominated to serve as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April. That prompted Col. Kathryn Spletstoser to come for- ward with allegations that he re- peatedly made unwanted sexual contact with her while traveling for work in 2017. “These allegations are false,” Hyten said Tuesday. “There was a very extensive, thorough investigation... that revealed the truth: Nothing happened, ever.” McSally and Ernst went public earlier this year with their person- al stories of sexual assault: McSal- ly was raped by a superior officer when she was in the Air Force, and Ernst, who is also a veteran, was

raped in college. Ernst did not defend Spletstos- er’s allegations but focused her concerns on Hyten’s approach to the colonel, who was asked to leave his command after an inter- nal investigation determined that she had created a “toxic work environment.” Hyten said Tuesday that the inquiry was prompted by complaints from “less than a half doz- en” staff members, none of whom served on Spletstoser’s team. Ernst questioned why Hyten gave Spletstoser ringing endorse- ments even as complaints were coming in, and approved a formal reprimand only 90 days after a glowing November 2017 perform- ance review, with no written warnings in between. “You served in one of our most

important positions within our United States military, overseeing our nuclear arsenal. However, you could not bring yourself to admit or recognize toxic leadership within your command,” Ernst said. “You only did something about it when concerns were raised about your own leadership, and the investigation was not for- warded onto your higher echelon command, which I see as a clear conflict of interest.” Spletstoser has also questioned the timing of Hyten’s actions, sug- gesting Tuesday that “he wanted to get rid of me pretty quickly” after a December 2017 incident at the Reagan National Defense Fo- rum, where she said he entered her hotel room, pinned her against him and attempted to have sex with her until he prema- turely ejaculated. Hyten denied the claims, saying that Spletstoser made 34 additional, nonsexual accusations against him and his staff members after she was pushed out. Spletstoser told reporters: “I hon- estly don’t know what he was referring to there.” The committee has investigat- ed Spletstoser’s charges for three weeks, holding five closed-door sessions to review the Air Force’s inquiry and hear from Hyten and his accuser. According to congressional aides, Spletstoser’s per- formance during her private testi- mony raised questions about her uncorroborated account. During Tuesday’s public hearing, not a single senator defended her allegations. Several Democrats on the panel attempted to avoid the subject of sexual assault altogether, and those who addressed it asked only what Hyten would do to improve the military’s handling of accusations.

“It’s just a horrible, horrible thing, but I really don’t feel like I’m an expert in that area,” Hyten said when Sen. Mazie Hirono (D- Hawaii) asked how he would approach the problem. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) later called his answers “really vague.” Two Democrats who had written to the Defense Department about Spletstoser’s claims, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), were not present for the hearing, as they are 2020 presidential candidates who will appear in primary de- bates in Detroit starting Tuesday night. Hyten defenders outnumbered his opponents Tuesday, and in- cluded former Air Force secretary Heather A. Wilson, who told the panel that Hyten “was falsely accused.” She also suggested that Splets- toser was “a wounded soldier who believes what she is saying is true, even if it is not.” Spletstoser watched from the front row of the audience, her request to speak during the pro- ceedings having been denied. Af- terward, she said Wilson’s comments were “incredibly disre- spectful and uninformed.” Both Hyten and Spletstoser said they would support releasing the 1,400-page investigation re- port. Spletstoser told reporters that it would reveal that at least one member of Hyten’s detail “did have questions” about his boss’s actions, and that Hyten took a private polygraph exam that came back inconclusive. The committee has not said when it will vote on Hyten’s nomi- nation. The Senate is not expected to confirm him until after the August recess. [email protected]

Two senators split sharply on Hyten

ANDREW HARNIK/ASSOCIATED PRESS Col. Kathryn Spletstoser, who has accused Air Force Gen. John Hyten of making unwanted sexual advances, leaves after speaking to reporters on Tuesday following Hyten’s confirmation hearing.

The rape survivors differ on Air Force general accused of sexual assault

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The Washington Post - 31.07.2019

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