A member of the House Armed Services Committee called Wednesday for the Marines accused of sharing nude photos of female service members to be fired.
In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) urged Defense Secretary James Mattis to “hold your leadership accountable for these failures to establish a culture of dramatic change.”
“That means heads should roll,” Speier said. “Action is what needed for the integrity of the military. Survivors must be supported. That will only happen if those bad Marines are drummed out of the Corps, with no exceptions.”
{mosads}The War Horse, a nonprofit military news organization, reported over the weekend that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was probing allegations that hundreds of Marines shared nude photos and personal information of female Marines and veterans in a private Facebook group. The Facebook group, called “Marines United,” had nearly 30,000 followers.
Some photos were allegedly taken and posted without the women’s knowledge or were meant to remain private. Comments on the page reportedly included rape threats.
Gen. Robert Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, said Tuesday that the Marines accused of sharing the nude photos “acted selfishly and unprofessionally.”
“It’s embarrassing to our Corps, to our families and to the nation,” Neller said in a video statement.
“We will ensure that the investigative process that is ongoing will ensure the reporting of conduct that is like this,” he said. “If changes need to be made, they will be made.”
Speier argued that merely expressing alarm about Marines sharing nude photos of their colleagues wasn’t enough, saying that the scandal reflected a broader cultural problem within the military.
“I fear that military leadership will say anything to placate Congress and an outraged public, but then do nothing,” she said.
“This is not about sex or fun or ‘boys will be boys.’ This is about the Marines deliberately trying to degrade, humiliate and threaten fellow Marines.”