- Army Col. Kathryn A. Spletstoser has come forward to accuse Air Force Gen. John Hyten of sexual assault.
- Hyten is President Donald Trump’s pick for vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of the most powerful military positions in the world.
- Hyten has denied the accusations. He gave his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday in a private session. Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said that Hyten’s nomination would advance.
- Spletstoser said that the incidents occurred while Hyten was her boss at US Strategic Command. The Air Force conducted an investigation into the misconduct allegations against Hyten but declined to move the case to court-martial.
The New York Times identified Army Col. Kathryn A. Spletstoser, 51, as the accuser who came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Gen. John Hyten, President Donald Trump’s pick for vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hyten, 60, whose nomination had been overshadowed by accusations of sexual assault, will become the military’s second most powerful leader if he is confirmed by the Senate. He was interviewed privately by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday; after he was questioned in a Senate secure facility, the committee chose to advance his nomination, Defense News reported.
A Defense Department spokeswoman, Col. DeDe Halfhill, told The New York Times, “With more than 38 years of service to our nation, Gen. Hyten has proven himself to be a principled and dedicated patriot.”
Chief of Air Combat Command Gen. James “Mike” Holmes looked into the accusations against Hyten but declined to move the case to court-martial in June. Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth wrote a letter to then-Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper with concerns about the Air Force’s investigation into Spletstoser’s allegations.
"The severity of the allegations and the sensitivity and seniority of General Hyten's billet demand that a senior officeholder - not a peer, and certainly not a peer who is junior in grade to General Hyten - should be the convening authority," they wrote. Holmes is technically junior to Hyten.
Spletstoser had previously spoken with The Associated Press anonymously, detailing the allegations against Hyten, including several incidents of inappropriate touching in 2017. According to The Times, she said these incidents occurred in her office or on work trips when they were both working at US Strategic Command and Hyten was Spletstoser's boss.
Spletstoser told The Times about an incident she said occurred on December 2, 2017, in Simi Valley, California, while they were attending the Reagan National Defense Forum. Spletstoser said Hyten came to her hotel room, sat on her bed, attempted to kiss her, and pressed himself against her until he ejaculated.
Hyten has denied accusations of sexual misconduct, and Spletstoser's case did not move to court-martial. A military official who spoke with The Times said Hyten, as the head of US Strategic Command, would have be heavily guarded, and it was unlikely - but not impossible - that he could have gone to Spletstoser's California hotel room in 2017 without drawing notice.
Spletstoser said she didn't report him because she thought he would both be retiring soon. Furthermore, she told The Times, "Who was I going to report it to? Secretary Mattis? Really? All I was trying to do was just survive and not have my life ruined."
Spletstoser told The Associated Press that she believed that Hyten professionally retaliated against her because she rebuffed him, giving her negative performance reviews after a series of exemplary ones. She was also put under investigation for toxic workplace behavior, she said - the same behavior that she said Hyten had previously encouraged.
Hyten's performance reviews had been glowing, saying that Spletstoser had "unlimited potential to lead and serve with distinction as a multi-star" general, according to The Associated Press. But after she rejected him, Spletstoser found herself under investigation, then dismissed from Strategic Command. She attempted to retire but was moved to another job because Army officials believed the retirement was coerced, The Associated Press reported.
With Hyten poised to become one of the most powerful military leaders in the world, Spletstoser told The Times, "I realized I have a moral responsibility to come forward. I could not live with myself if this happens to someone else and I didn't do anything to stop it."
Spletstoser has a 28-year service record, including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is still on active military duty.