Dem Women Caucus Leaders Request Briefing from Coast Guard on Sexual Harassment Cover-Up
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) leaders Chair Lois Frankel, and Vice Chairs Nikema Williams and Teresa Leger Fernández requested a briefing from Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan on Operation Fouled Anchor—a report showing decades of sexual assault and harassment at the Coast Guard Academy—which the Coast Guard subsequently covered up and hid from Congress.
“We write today in regard to the extremely troubling report from CNN that under the leadership of Commandant Karl L. Shultz, the U.S. Coast Guard covered up an investigation known as Operation Fouled Anchor,” wrote DWC leadership. “That investigation, which was hidden from the public and Congress for four years, revealed a history of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy from the late 1980s to 2006.”
Reporting from CNN has detailed how Operation Fouled Anchor found more than 60 substantiated reports of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment at the Coast Guard Academy. Operation Fouled Anchor also identified individuals against whom there were substantiated reports of sexual assault, but the Coast Guard seemingly failed to appropriately investigate the reports. Though Operation Fouled Anchor concluded in 2020, the Coast Guard did not disclose it to Congress nor the public. Subsequent reporting has revealed that many members of Coast Guard leadership were aware of Operation Fouled Anchor but kept it from Congress, some of whom still remain employed by the Coast Guard.
“As members and leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, we are committed to addressing violence against women in all its forms. In this regard, our caucus requests a briefing on Operation Fouled Anchor, the effort to hide the Fouled Anchor report, and next steps,” continued the members.
Read the full letter below and HERE.
October 25, 2023
Admiral Linda L. Fagan
Commandant of the Coast Guard
U.S. Coast Guard
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE
Washington, D.C. 20593
Dear Admiral Fagan,
We write today in regard to the extremely troubling report from CNN that under the leadership of Commandant Karl L Shultz the US Coast Guard covered up an investigation known as Operation Fouled Anchor. That investigation, which was hidden from the public and Congress for four years, revealed a history of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy from the late 1980s to 2006. This included more than sixty substantiated incidents of sexual misconduct.
As members and leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, we are committed to addressing violence against women in all its forms. In this regard, our caucus requests a briefing on Operation Fouled Anchor, the effort to hide the Fouled Anchor report, and next steps.
We look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
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