Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has been slowly but surely working toward a bill removing military sexual assault cases from the chain of command. It appears that two prominent Tea Party faces are now joining that push.
Politico reports that Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are behind Gillibrand's efforts. A Tuesday press conference is slated to bring Paul, Gillibrand and other lawmakers together to discuss the legislation, the site adds.
Introduced in mid-May, the Military Justice Improvement Act already had 33 cosponsors according to govtrack.us, including four Republicans: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). According to Politico, Gillibrand has kept a whiteboard to track the steady progress in garnering supporters.
Back on June 12, Gillibrand stressed that chain of command is what keeps victims from reporting sexual assault crimes.
"The victims say it is the climate, that they fear retaliation," Gillibrand said. "Their commanders are not creating a climate where they feel they can report without being blamed, being retaliated against, being marginalized, having their careers be over."
Watch more of Gillibrand's June remarks above
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