I have a pair of posts up at Pajamas Media this morning regarding the alleged July, 2005 gang-rape of a young female contractor in Iraq. ABC News blog
broke the story and it seems to have triggered an investigation in the House Judiciary Committee as a result. Unfortunately, what came off the pages of
with the claims made in the legal documents.
It isn't fabulism, but it is sensationalism.
I'd emailed Ms. Jones' attorney yesterday morning with questions, and within several hours, the page was down. Those are the facts. I'm not yet sure if there is any cause and effect involved, but I should be able to clear that up with I speak with her attorney, Todd Kelly, later today.
For those of you who might expect me to be trying to debunk the case... don't.
Though there are some inconsistencies with certain aspects of the case and the way it has been reported, absolutely nothing seems to contradict the key claim that she was savagely, brutally raped. Nothing contradicts the fact that she has not be able to find justice for 2 years.
I think she's a brave young woman, and hope that she can find both emotional and physical healing.
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For those of you who might expect me to be trying to debunk the case... don't.
Though there are some inconsistencies with certain aspects of the case and the way it has been reported, absolutely nothing seems to contradict the key claim that she was savagely, brutally raped. Nothing contradicts the fact that she has not be able to find justice for 2 years.
I think she's a brave young woman, and hope that she can find both emotional and physical healing.
Those words should have been in the original post. Not here where they are divorced from what is being read by commnters at PJM as a debunk. If they are here and not there too, they look like a CYA afterthought to a hatchet job on Jamie leigh Jones.
Posted by: Cernig at December 12, 2007 12:13 PM (1Tw+U)
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I agree. I am very suspicious of such outlandish claims, but strange things do happen and I get the feeling she is telling the truth. If so, heads need to roll over this from KBR to the state department to the security contractor on site aong with the offenders.
Posted by: Ray Robion at December 12, 2007 12:20 PM (kZ5Z5)
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Does nobody remember Tailhook. Nobody could believe that the women claiming rape would lie and they walked away with a lot of money while a group of navy pilots lives were ruined. When the truth came out(and not reported), it turned out to be a lie, but the men in the case lives was stilled ruined and the women got to keep the cash.
Posted by: shunha7878 at December 12, 2007 12:26 PM (qppR1)
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It's all about money and some slick lawyer (aka Silky hair) will end up with it.
Posted by: Scrapiron at December 12, 2007 12:29 PM (d/RyS)
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Ace and Jawa are treating this like it's another Tawana Brawley. I tend to agree. Why would her boss/attacker threaten her job? Like someone would want to work where she was just gang raped??? Yeah right.
Posted by: Capitalist Infidel at December 12, 2007 12:30 PM (Lgw9b)
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Cernig,
The PJM post clearly goes after
The Blotter.
ABC interviewed Jones
in September, and still didn't do the due diligence to note the serious discrepancies between the account they reported, the court filing, and the Foundation's web site that they linked to.
It was never a "hatchet job" in the least, and I don't see how it could be considered so by anyone objective.
reread the first line of the post:
Bob Owens takes a close look at the allegations of a gang rape in Iraq's Green Zone in 2005 by employees of KBR, and finds some omissions and inconsistencies in the ABC News scoop.
Not with her or her case, but with the ABC story.
further down:
In what the Associated Press described as a preview of allegations to air on "20/20" next month, ABC News may have exaggerated some elements of the story for dramatic effect while downplaying other facts.
Again, going after ABC, not Jones.
You don't have to like the fact that I've uncovered inconsistencies, but don't try to manufacture them into something they clearly aren't, and this clearly was only a criticism of ABC News.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at December 12, 2007 12:35 PM (vxbTC)
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The Leigh Jones has all the ingredients one would find in a Hollywood movie. However, although cliche, truth is stranger than fiction.
I think that CF is taking the most objective approach to this. Very few people know what happened. To simply Tawana Brawley this or blame a "slick" lawyer, is nothing more than sidestepping Ms. Jone's extremely serious allegations.
I think her recourse to a civil claim is not so much as to seek compensation, though I am sure that is one basis, it's that there does not appear to be any criminal court jurisdiction and thus almost no way of pursuing criminal charges. From a civil litigation standpoint, Ms. Jones would have a much easier time recovering a civil judgment after a criminal conviction than to simply pursue this matter in a civil court.
The fact that she has prior claims to her employer about sexual misconduct by a supervisor that did not result in his firing seems to suggest an "old boys" network. With respect to these claims, I am not sure there would have been any need for her to raise them in her complaint or amended complaint, unless that individual had been involved in alleged rape.
Posted by: Penfold at December 12, 2007 12:48 PM (lF2Kk)
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Actually, I'm just fine with you uncovering inconsistencies in reporting. Tabloid journalism like that pisses me off no matter which way it's slanted. But I still say you should have added that 'graph to your PJM post from word one.
Regards, C
Posted by: Cernig at December 12, 2007 12:51 PM (1Tw+U)
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I've submitted a comment quoting your post here to PJM. It's held for moderation.
Posted by: Cernig at December 12, 2007 12:55 PM (1Tw+U)
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But I still say you should have added that 'graph to your PJM post from word one.
We wanted to provide just the facts of this case at PJM, with no editorializing. In short, real reporting, not an op-ed, or an op-ed disguised as news.
My personal thoughts and opinions relating to what I think of this case are frankly irrelevant in a news story, and so I wrote my post to exclude them.
Nice personal attack on me at your site.
I'm impressed that you seem to have the ability to read my mind.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at December 12, 2007 01:05 PM (vxbTC)
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As I see it confederate yankee and sites like this , ( your motto " leftist is a vegatative state") I dont care you want to use that as your motto , you have the right to do it.who cares about this girl? your americans are you not?Sights like this do not like the fact that anything could be wrong with anything to do with the military or these contractors , " Nope it must be leftist pinkos " , so it must be leftist creating a story ,Do you guys have any decency. shame on the people that do that , if it hurts the right politically , shoot the messenger ,cause if Fox news didnt report it ,it must not be true . also to NOT let the light of day to find out what really happened is unamerican , , shame on everyone that wants this to go away for their own agenda, its about truth , justice the american way , . the girl says she was raped there is all sorts of corrobaration and physical evidence , Yet some would rather justice NOT be done because of Idealism. Shame on you people , so unamerican ,I think any decent american would just want to know what really happened, not go off on all this red herring fanatic stuff. and I've even read on sites like this that "OH Remember the girl and the duke college thing", that dont mean anything. but sights like this want to put doubt, they hate, its actually sad , all so this can all go away because of personal idealism , shame , shame . give the girl the right to have her day in court,thats HER right, or do you all think thses guys should not be held accountable because they work for KBR and Halburton.you all forget they are not guys with national principles who join up military guys , they are getting paid and ALOT.they are in an war environment. SOME, not all SOME of these guys come to realize they can do whatever they want .they are in a war zone in Iraq feeling they are the kings of the hill, after doing the things they do SOME feel they are owed, take without remorse or being held accountable .there are all sorts of reasons this could happen . but because you dont like it , hide it. Thats unamerican . If someone did this to your sister , or mom , or Daughter , and it really did happen ,would you not want this to come out and have justice , the stupidist thing i read was . " gee she said they would fire her if she talked and was afraid of that , she must be lying cause if it was true obviously the bad guys would of said they would shoot her if she talked, wow how moronic" you all spout victims rights all the time . yet only when its convenient , shame , so unamerican
Posted by: DA at December 12, 2007 01:51 PM (RsSg/)
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Bob,
You wrote in the PJM post:
There is also the issue of a serious discrepancy between The Blotter story, the civil case documents, and JonesÂ’ own account on The Jamie Leigh FoundationÂ’s web site as to what happened to the rape kit collected by U.S. Army medical personnel in the wake of her assault.
And:
There are significant variances between the versions of events—and even the mention of key events—told in The Blotter, the civil court documents of Jones et al. v. Halliburton Company et al., and the now-deleted chronological events page known as “Jamie’s Journal.”
These are both untrue, the inconsistencies your PJM post mentions are all between ABC's reporting and the other two accounts, which are consistent on the points you mention between themselves.
You wrote the graph I quoted on your own blog but didn't, for your own reasons, decide to be as forthright as to include anything even remotely like it in the PJM post.
I'm not the one lacking in integrity here.
Posted by: Cernig at December 12, 2007 01:58 PM (1Tw+U)
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Cernig, you are seeing something that just isn't there. Your interpretation of what you have quoted is widely biased. A dispassionate look makes it obvious he is noting inconsistencies not ascribing blame to a particular party. It is exactly what objective journalism should be doing and I wish the AP operated this way. BTW, I have been communicating with Bob Owens for almost two years and I would tout his integrity to anyone. You have let your emotions get away from you in the hypersensitive discussion of a woman being raped. You should apologize to Bob and come back to a reasonable line on this.
Posted by: Ray Robison at December 12, 2007 02:31 PM (kZ5Z5)
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I must be really behind the times:
Per Penfold "The fact that she has prior claims to her employer about sexual misconduct by a supervisor that did not result in his firing seems"
I didn't realize that a sacrificial man had to be fired for every woman's unproven allegation.
Posted by: RFYoung at December 12, 2007 04:47 PM (WqZCc)
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I cannot comment upon the facts in this case, because I am not privy to them. To be honest, my instincts point to believing this young woman, but I would not be surprised of any eventual outcome. I do have an issue with Halliburton, however, and wonder why that name comes up so often in hideous dealings. If nothing else, they have shown that they overcharge the government...read: taxpayers like me, by overcharging for all sorts of things, and if they have not accepted responsibility, they have paid huge fines as a result. i find it objectionable that private companies in our country are benefitting from our "excursion" in iraq. where is the oversight? and do the people involved in that company send their children to fight that war? are there any? i would be interested to know. my sense is that they are willing to sacrifice the lives of others' children so they can reap their own profit. whatever...they will all reap what they have sown. there is no immediate gratification for that, but it always seems to come back...i cannot judge, i can only observe and have an opinion.
Posted by: dmb829 at December 12, 2007 07:48 PM (KQu2H)
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DA, where are you from, Holland? I hear they have the best drugs there. I'm sorry that we whatever-bad-thing-we-are-today so-and-sos are confused by some aspects of this story.
It is a strange story. The fact that it involves Halliburton and or other contractors, the Army, and the GWOT, does not per se make such bad news suspicious. The Duke case was suspicious, and I have no feelings for Duke or lacrosse or college sports at all.
The fact that it may slant antiwar may add fuel to the fire, but from the sound of your ranting there, you seem to be the one ablaze. Perhaps if it were an American girl accusing citizens of your country of rape, or maybe members of your favorite footy club, you too would like to understand what was going on.
dmb829: do you know what the word "irrelevant" means? I'm sorry but this is pure vapor, IMHO, driven by I know not what, probably your ideology. And whenever I hear such as you whining about your tax dollars, I have to wonder: do you have a real job or do you live at home?
Posted by: nichevo at December 13, 2007 03:21 AM (Ak+g8)
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This is the first time I have heard of this story.
Holy crap, this is absolutely disgusting what happened to this young woman. There is no excuse for it whatsoever.
After all this time, nothing has happened. Time for some vigilante justice to be applied I think.
Posted by: capt joe at December 13, 2007 11:00 AM (wjbe+)
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nichevo,
I like your answer to dmb829. What kind of person doesn't believe in the goodness of taxes? Taxes are the reason we live in a society and not like animals.
Tax revenue is used to help those who don't have the capacity to help themselves. They pay for things like the National Endowment for the Arts and other cultural groups, which show we are a nation that holds culture important.
Like you, every time I hear someone whining about their tax dollars, I have to wonder if they are smart enough to know where the money comes from to support this nation and it's defense (Yes, I'm looking at you Dick Cheney--who made your money through government contracts paid through tax dollars).
capt joe,
The NRA will get right on this. Just as they did in protecting the rights of blacks to vote in the 1950s and 60s.
(LOL)
Posted by: Robert at December 13, 2007 02:40 PM (bj3d2)
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Robert, why don't you leave Dutch Boy's stash alone?
Posted by: nichevo at December 14, 2007 01:29 PM (Ak+g8)
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Per ABC story:
On one key point, Halliburton/KBR and Jones agree: the Army doctor who administered a rape evidence kit to Jamie after her alleged assault handed the kit to Halliburton/KBR security personnel. Halliburton/KBR's account did not mention the fate of the rape kit. It noted the company "did not interfere with the State Department's criminal investigation."
Posted by: TK Nagano at December 14, 2007 03:47 PM (Y5vHa)
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I believe what happened to Jamie was legit. I was a Halliburton employee for several years and a similar incident happen to a relative of mine. Nothing was done about it and Halliburton wanted to use my brother-in-law as a sacrifice in an Angolan prison for hitting a local (working for Halliburton) that tried raping my sister. No investigation was done and Halliburton only paid for my sister and kids to get out of the country. They also cut of all communications so they could not call out. Something needs to be done.
Posted by: HESTRUTH at December 14, 2007 06:50 PM (fJQJS)
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Nichevo - If you think everything's so peachy over there, why don't you send you send sister, mom, or daughter over to work for kbr in the green zone? This happened. KBR is not denying it happened. They are simply refusing to do anything about it. Why? because they don't have to. They are under absolutely no obligation to _any_ law enforcement agency on the planet. As a company, as a matter of corporate policy, they have no moral obligation except to increase their stock price. Wake up and smell the coffee you fool. Satan himself - aka dick cheney - unleashed his minions to rape iraq, both literally and metaphorically. Why don't you show us how proud you are of their behaviour and go offer to scout IEDs. Oh, and by the way, I do pay taxes and I live at home. My home. I won it. In fact, I own two homes. I work a full time job, and pay all the taxes required of me as an american citizen, including the taxes paying for contractors who have no accountability. You're a brainless twit.
Posted by: Mad Monkey at December 17, 2007 09:26 AM (lFvYB)
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Nichevo - If you think everything's so peachy over there, why don't you send you send sister, mom, or daughter over to work for kbr in the green zone? This happened. KBR is not denying it happened. They are simply refusing to do anything about it. Why? because they don't have to. They are under absolutely no obligation to _any_ law enforcement agency on the planet. As a company, as a matter of corporate policy, they have no moral obligation except to increase their stock price. Wake up and smell the coffee you fool. Satan himself - aka dick cheney - unleashed his minions to rape iraq, both literally and metaphorically. Why don't you show us how proud you are of their behaviour and go offer to scout IEDs. Oh, and by the way, I do pay taxes and I live at home. My home. I own it. In fact, I own two homes. I work a full time job, and pay all the taxes required of me as an american citizen, including the taxes paying for contractors who have no accountability. You're a brainless twit.
Posted by: Mad Monkey at December 17, 2007 09:27 AM (lFvYB)
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