Rep. Poe: At Least 3 Other Women Were Sexually Assaulted While Working For KBR In Iraq
Rep. Poe: At Least 3 Other Women Were Sexually Assaulted While Working For KBR In Iraq
Last week, Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) said on CNN that he did not believe that the gang rape in Iraq of former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones was “an isolated case of assault.” Poe then encouraged “other victims” to contact his office.
In his prepared testimony for the House Judiciary Committee today, Poe said that his office had been contacted by three women other than Ms. Jones about sexual assaults they sustained while working for KBR in Iraq:
Since Jamie has gone public with her experience, my office has heard from 3 other women. Of course, my office will furnish the names of these women to the Judiciary Committee if needed.
Poe named one of the women, Tracy Barker, “who says that she was sexually assaulted in Iraq by a State Department employee who still works at the State Department today.” ABC News identified the State Department employee as Ali Mokhtare, whom the Justice Department “declined to prosecute,” despite “a recommendation from the State Department that he be charged.
Regarding the other two women, Poe said that “they both report sexual assaults and sexual harrassment by their coworkers.” He also said that one of the women asserted that KBR not only protected an accused rapist, but also punished her for contacting Army MPs about the situation:
The 2 other women are also former KBR employees. They both report sexual assaults and sexual harassment by their coworkers in Iraq and neither woman has seen any federal law enforcement action. One of the women informed my office that she was molested several times and raped once by her KBR coworkers. When she reported the crime to her immediate supervisor, she was told that they would take care of it. She returned to work two days later and found her rapist working alongside of her. She panicked and called Army MPs, who escorted the rapist off of the base. However, she was subsequently fired. It seems that, unfortunately, Jamie’s case is not unique.
In her testimony today, Jones said that her job had also been threatened. KBR supervisors told her there was “no guarantee of a job,” either in Iraq or back in Houston, if she didn’t “stay and get over it.”
The Gavel has some video clips from the hearing here.
UPDATE: The Justice Department “refused to send a representative to answer questions” today, which Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) called “an absolute disgrace.”
UPDATE II: Jamie Leigh Jones says she has been contacted by 11 other women who have also been assaulted by contractors in Iraq.
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Aaah, yes. Good old fashioned American freedom for export. Raping them over there so we don’t have to rape them over here.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:46 pmThese are atrocious accusations, but what do these people expect?
They work for a company whose M.O. is “eff em, or be effed”.
I guess you got effed.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:47 pm112 American women have been raped by contractors and then army in total
December 19th, 2007 at 2:47 pmBringing democracy and freedom the Bush way…..
The whole moral tenor that this regime supposedly is built upon is slowly melting away like the Portrait of Dorian Gray revealing the cesspool of facism that really is the legacy of Bush…..
December 19th, 2007 at 2:49 pmPillaging and raping: it’s as old as Roman legions marching through “barbarian” countrysides…
We have “no-bid” fascist corporations occupying the sovereign state of Iraq.
Anything goes with the Bush gangsters running the show…
December 19th, 2007 at 2:49 pmThe Pentagon has ordered an urgent inquiry into reports that more than 100 American women deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been raped or sexually assaulted by fellow soldiers, it emerged yesterday.
There have been 112 cases of sexual assault on women soldiers in units under central command,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1157345,00.html
From the Guardian
December 19th, 2007 at 2:50 pmSo there’s one thing private businesses are better at than Government, but I’m not sure it will help the cause of the privatizers and deregulators much.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:51 pmKilling innocent civilians, raping women with no repercussions, destroying villages, no water or electricity for hundreds of thousands, infant mortality skyrocketing, displacing millions….
Gee, wasn’t that the reason we gave for going in there in the first place? Stopping that inhumane treatment?
It seems like the only thing different between Iraq now and Iraq from 6 years ago is that NOW there really is al Qaeda in Iraq and Now… our tax dollars are supporting this….
December 19th, 2007 at 2:57 pmSaddams’ rape-camps were outsourced to Halliburton.
-GSD
December 19th, 2007 at 2:58 pminstead of spending another £70 billion why not use the money to leave Iraq and the rest give to Iraq as damages
December 19th, 2007 at 3:04 pmDisgusting. Who will be held accountable? KBR? Justice Dept? State Dept? The perpetrators themselves? None of the above, most likely. Heckuva job, Bushie!!
December 19th, 2007 at 3:06 pminstead of spending another £70 billion why not use the money to leave Iraq and the rest give to Iraq as damages
Oh, hi there! You must be Common Sense. Let me introduce you to someone who apparently has never even heard of you.
Oh, Georgie! Look who I have here…
December 19th, 2007 at 3:06 pmIs this the crowd we want helping us in time of disaster? Rapists, thieves and dog killers?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:09 pmAn American business would never hide a criminal act. Perish the thought.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:12 pmWelcome to the wonderful world of privatized mercenary warfare.
Phucking disgusting pigs.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:15 pmUnder the twisted Rethuglican culture, sex is only illegal when it is between consenting adults.
Maybe they should condemn these women to flogging, followed by a prison term. After all – they willingly went into a situation where they were alone and unchaperoned by a male family member.
– Your Saudi Arabian Friend
December 19th, 2007 at 3:17 pmIf the accusations are true then the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile in Iran: Top cleric says women without veils must die…
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.1687095144
December 19th, 2007 at 3:18 pmThis invasion is costing American taxpayers over $230,000 a minute!
KBR, Blackwater & others have been allowed to run rampant with zero accountability, just like we’ve let Bushco run over America.
Mercs, who needs ‘em? And where’s Riddick when you really need him?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:19 pmGood thing this isn’t Saudi Arabia. They would just blame the victim.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:20 pmMeanwhile in Iran: Top cleric says women without veils must die…
http://www.adnkronos.com/ AKI/ English/ Religion/ ?id=1.0.1687095144
Comment by Charles James Napier — December 19, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
Jesus, don’t let Bush see that, he’ll adopt it instantly.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:23 pm12 instead of spending another £70 billion why not use the money to leave Iraq and the rest give to Iraq as damages
December 19th, 2007 at 3:23 pmComment by jayjaybear
Sometime after Bush’s Mission Accomplished the Iraqi people begged Bush to let THEM rebuild Iraq as they could do it pennies on the dollar. Apparently Mission Accomplished was just another lie as the true accomplishment was to rob our treasury, create more terror in Iraq and US while the corporations grew. The rapes, dog killings, civilian killings is part of Bush’s culture of torture/terrorism.
i don’t suppose any of you liberals have ever heard of the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”, now have you? did it ever occur to you that these “victims” may be lying? and what exactly is their motive? better still their agenda? money? undermining our troops? it’s been know to happen. look at the so-called “duke lacrosse rape” case. and were things really any better under saddam? i don’t think so.
(there i just wrote chl’s comment for him. strawman included at no extra charge.)
December 19th, 2007 at 3:23 pmThat’s right. We fought this war so things would be the same as under Saddam.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:26 pmComment by Charles James Napier — December 19, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
chuck if we send in kbr then they could contract out to this cleric. from there it’s just a short hop to oil contracts and a trusted ally in the region.
eh?
let’s run it by dick and see what he thinks.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:27 pmjoe cantwell,
Please try to make your comments coherent.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:33 pmNone of this should surprise us since according to the United Nations, the United States leads the rest of the industrialized world in rape.
That said, once again we find the facts point to proof these people are working to bring about a Fascist state. From the 14 Points of Fascism:
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights
The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
5. Rampant sexism
Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.
9. Power of corporations protected
Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not†citizens.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption
Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.
America, have you had enough yet? Are you going to wait until your daughters, sisters and mothers are raped by this gang of thugs? Where are the men of backbone in America?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pmjoe cantwell
December 19th, 2007 at 3:39 pmWhy is it Bush refused to let the Iraqi people rebuild their own country as they begged to do after Mission Accomplished? Why is it these thug corporations also know for killing civilians and dogs were allowed to come in, do nothing but create more chaos, killings and murder? I doubt this was by accident as just look at who has benefited.
If we had fulfilled Iraqi’s wishes, let them rebuild we would have less chaos, death and torture/terrorism… But I guess that plan would be bad for Big Oil, make it harder to get those oil contracts.
Comment by Charles James Napier — December 19, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
I am SICK and TIRED of you people on the right suddenly discovering a heartfelt concern for the plight of women in Iran when you did nothing about it other than to try to score political points against us progressives and liberals. Just go and look at Will Bunch’s blog and you’ll see my point. You use these events to try to paint us liberals as not being concerned about the women of Iran. Why don’t you instead of trying to use these events for political purposes, get actively involved in trying to solve these problems. Start with petitions and letter writing if you are so concerned. The very fact that you don’t inform us what to do about this just shows that you don’t care about women in Iran, but because this administration considers it an enemy, you find it convenient to portray us as Iran sympathizers and by extension what you consider terrorist supporters.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:44 pmPlease try to make your comments coherent.
Comment by Charles James Napier — December 19, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
you first.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:44 pm22. thanks joe, can i write your reply for you?
but in most cases where the perp tried to cover up the crime, there was real assault, the duke boys did not attempt to cover up anything so there is no correlation there. the question we have to ask is why did the rape kit disappear? why were these women subjected to threats afterwards? sounds like to me, classic case of sexual abuse which is now well documented by law enforcement, the courts and therapy professionals around the country. false accusations typically happen in custody disputes, not in employer/employee situations. in these types of cases, the overwhelming percentage of cases are factual, in other words, where there is smoke there is fire.
How’s that?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:45 pmand what’s even worse is that many of your colleagues on the right are disparaging these women, accusing them of lying and crying wolf. Their statements are even more telling when compared to their faux-concern for the women of Iran. They don’t care about the plight of women except when it is convenient to use them for political attacks against their opponents.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:47 pmUPDATE: The Justice Department “refused to send a representative to answer questions†today, which Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) called “an absolute disgrace.â€
I’m so glad to see that the Mukasey era at Justice is such a breath of fresh air. Chuck, care to comment? Dianne, how about you?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:48 pmComment by ucsbclassics53 — December 19, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
off topic but curious…Gaucho?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:49 pmbad golly, the sad fact is that there won’t be any proving. No court oversight. No rule of law. In the Iraq made by your chymp.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:50 pmI don’t find it surprising that a paramilitary organization totally free of accountability could foster some of this conduct. That seems almost a given (Plato’s ring of Geigy – if you could committ a crime and be guaranteed of not being caught, would you ?).
I do find it surprising that the number reported is so low (when compared to the other statistic of 100+ in the military – although I don’t have a source for that number). After all, at least there could be some accountability for military under the military justice system.
What really surprises me is why the DOJ would refuse to come to a hearing. It seems paramount for Congress to ask the DOJ if there is any accountability provided under US Law. After all, the least Congress should do is determine if there is a need for a new law to cover this previously unheard of situation.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:51 pmLet’s just take all the male KBR employees and throw them into Guantanamo and waterboard the truth out of them.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm36. Comment by good_golly — December 19, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Ted Poe and other Americans want to know:
Why did the rape kit disappear?
Why were these women subjected to threats and punishment afterwards?
Overwhelming statistics by the DoJ and state correctional departments show that false accusations typically happen in custody disputes, not in employer/employee situations, in these types of cases, the overwhelming percentage of cases are factual.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:58 pmsorry, what I meant to say #36, is that they are automatically assuming that the victims are lying without waiting for due process. They have already convicted the victims for lying because they cannot see Halliburton or KBR doing any wrong and believe that liberals and progressives and Democrats conspired with them to create the perfect storm that blames KBR, Bush and the State Department.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:58 pmand you’re right, if the accusation of rape is proven false, there should be punishment. Maybe it’s just my bias, but I’ll be brutally honest by saying I am going to give the victim the benefit of the doubt over KBR…
December 19th, 2007 at 4:00 pmand what #40 says, doesn’t really help KBR in any way. So yeah, I’ll believe these women over KBR any day, especially with the disappearance of the rape kit and the threats and punishment.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:03 pmAn American business would never hide a criminal act. Perish the thought.
Comment by Marcus Aurelius
But, our tax dollars would not be paying them to commit the criminal acts.
What was the point of your post? Was it that it’s perfectly OK for corporations to cover up their crimes?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:04 pmComment by RUCerious — December 19, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
helll yeah, AND I’m damn proud of it! I made the 180 from being conservative over there…
December 19th, 2007 at 4:05 pmTed Poe and other Americans want to know:
Why did the rape kit disappear?
Why were these women subjected to threats and punishment afterwards?
And why was the women who was “allegedly” NOT raped locked in a shipping container with no food or water for 24 hours, only to be rescued by State Department employees. Is this how KBR treats their employees on a regular basis?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:06 pmClass of 76, Poli Sci major with econ minor. Just because we don’t have a football team, doesn’t mean we can’t surf our asses off.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:07 pmIs this how KBR treats their employees on a regular basis?
Comment by bilbobaggins — December 19, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
No, only the ones they consider a threat.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:07 pmWhat we cannot have is a witch hunt.
Comment by good_golly
CHL – what we cannot have here is justice. There will be no prosecution of anyone, so all we will get is the frustration of knowing that these contractors are free to rape and pillage with no repercussions.
In this new incarnation, you seem to be trying to show us a more reasonable face. So, I’ll ask you this. Don’t you see something wrong with allowing these contractors to be immune from prosecution from anything they do?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:09 pm31. 22. So what you are saying is “guilty until proven innocent?â€
Comment by good_golly
Are you stupid or what. How are they going to be proven guilty? The issue isn’t guilt or innocence, the issue is the fact that her alleged rape was never investigated.
Also, you have been asked before so I’ll ask again. If no rape occurred, then why did the rape kit given to KBR disappear and why was this woman locked in a shipping container?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:12 pmHELL yeah! What other school would toss the goal over the cliff after winning the national title?
Classics/History ‘05.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:12 pmAn American business would never hide a criminal act. Perish the thought.
Comment by Marcus Aurelius
Ever hear of Enron or WorldCom?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:13 pmIf the accusations are true then the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.
Comment by Charles James Napier
Would you care to enlighten us as to how this will happen? It appears that the contractors in Iraq have been told that they can rape, pillage and kill with no repercussions. This rape happened two years ago and there has been no investigation at all. So, since you think you are so brilliant, please tell us how these men can be tried for this “alleged” crime.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:15 pmEh. This is just the extreme Christofascist right’s twisted and ugly way of forcing women out of the workforce and back into the kitchen. That and demanding that abortion be outlawed.
Who needs burqas when you’ve got Mittens and Mike Schmuckabible…?
December 19th, 2007 at 4:30 pmI want to see Bush address this issue. Is anyone in the media capable of bringing it up? This is a situation entirely of this administration crafting. Jackals!
December 19th, 2007 at 4:40 pmThis is what really burns me up about today’s society. Haliburton, like many big corporations, has you over a barrel with their ‘mandatory arbitration’. Arbitration is fine and all, but mandatory arbitration is a miscarriage of justice.
If the woman is making a false accusation, then have her put that through to the courts. If she can’t prove her accusation, then the accused will be found not guilty. Easy enough. But the problem is that KBR has a requirement for arbitration with no chance of appeal. When you are denied access to the court system, justice by definition cannot be served. This not only affects employees of companies that use this but even consumers, and is a big issue amongst consumer oriented groups.
Let’s hope this gets fixed right.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:08 pmWhat’s the fear about a witch hunt, good golly? Afraid they” uncover your coven? Look to the stars and watch your’s fall!
December 19th, 2007 at 5:33 pmAfraid they’ll uncover your coven?
December 19th, 2007 at 5:35 pmFunny, it seems that wingnuts only care about the rights of the accused when it comes to contractors and this administration…
December 19th, 2007 at 6:49 pmNo US Government money for KBR ever again.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:11 pmThe problem, miss molly, is that the accused here don’t have to stand trial. I feel bad for the victims here, hopefully their cases will spur a wider investigation and perhaps some good will come out of this.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:36 pm#22 Joe Cantwell said “i don’t suppose any of you liberals have ever heard of the concept of “innocent until proven guiltyâ€, now have you?”
Of course, Joe, you’re making the case against waterboarding, extraordinary rendition, lack of Habeus, etc.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:20 pmWhat did they do send the Duke Lacrosse team in? Anytime you call for a witch hunt, more alleged victims are bound to surface.
Comment by good_golly — December 19, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
If my memory is correct (and it usually is), no other alleged victims emerged out of the Duke Lacrosse team case–just the original accuser.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:09 amComment by Lora — December 20, 2007 @ 12:09 am
Accuser who happened to change her story from the very beginning. That is not the case this time.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:11 amComment by Gregor Samsa — December 20, 2007 @ 12:11 am
Right. But our newest troll obviously doesn’t see the difference.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:57 amAnd here I thought Progressives cared about the rights of the accused. Silly me.
Comment by good_golly — December 19, 2007 @ 5:59 pm
Thanks for admitting that you are “silly.” Have the accused been deprived of any rights so far?
December 20th, 2007 at 2:11 am