{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-colleagues-demand-accountability-from-army-for-sexual-misconduct-failures/", "Gillibrand, Colleagues Demand Accountability From Army For Sexual Misconduct Failures", "2025-12-15", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and 56 members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses in demanding accountability for the Army\u2019s failure to stop repeated sexual misconduct by an Army doctor.\n\nThe lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) acting inspector general expressing their outrage over Army leadership\u2019s inaction despite numerous complaints from service members and their families that Dr. Major Blaine McGraw had sexually exploited patients in his care for years.\n\nRecently, over 80 women joined a lawsuit alleging that Major McGraw made sexual advances, directed lewd comments towards them, and secretly recorded patients during exams while he served as a resident at Tripler Army Medical Center from 2019-2023 and in his current role as an OBGYN at Fort Hood, which he began in 2023. Major McGraw was not suspended from his position until October 2025.\n\n\u201cThe Department of Defense must be held accountable for the Army\u2019s failure to stop this widespread misconduct. Our service members must be ensured safety when receiving medical care,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cNo service member should be forced to live in silence or have their complaints ignored. These allegations are extremely disturbing, and while I am glad Major McGraw has been charged, I will continue fighting to ensure survivors are heard, those who allowed this to continue are held accountable, and stronger protections are put in place so this never happens again.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo woman should feel unsafe receiving medical care, especially during sensitive and private health services. Yet, far too many survivors have come forward with their experiences of alleged exploitation and abuse by a doctor who reportedly violated not just the basic principles of medical care and human decency, but also the expected conduct of a U.S. Army officer and physician,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cThe Department of Defense and U.S. Army must take accountability for their failure to rapidly respond to servicemembers and patient complaints. While nothing can reverse the harm reported by patients, a comprehensive investigation into this alleged misconduct, resulting in stronger protections for patients, is necessary to ensure that no one experiences abuse by our military health system again.\u201d\n\n\u201cAfter reportedly being assaulted during a patient visit with Dr. McGraw, Jane Doe said she begged a desk attendant to make a report. Instead, she was told to \u2018call or send an email.\u2019 Jane Doe alleges she called the hospital seven different times but she was dismissed and hung up on each time. The purported lack of response and urgency to respond to these complaints would clearly violate reporting policy and the Army\u2019s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program protocols,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\n\u201cThe allegations against Dr. McGraw are extremely serious, and the Army\u2019s criminal investigation of this matter must continue unabated. That said, the separate concerns raised by survivors about members of the Army at many levels not timely acting on their complaints must be confronted immediately. Additionally, we request that DoD IG investigate to determine whether personnel within the Army properly followed procedures to timely report allegations of sexual misconduct to law enforcement and whether other SAPR procedures and existing protections were followed or not,\u201d the lawmakers concluded.\n\nFor nearly a decade, Senator Gillibrand fought alongside survivors, service members, veterans, and legal experts to build a broad bipartisan coalition to fundamentally change the military justice system. In the FY2022 and FY2023 defense bills, Gillibrand successfully incorporated her legislation to remove judicial functions and prosecutorial decisions from the chain of command for certain serious crimes, including sexual assault and domestic violence, and put them in the hands of professional military prosecutors. This bipartisan reform was supported by leading veterans service organizations and advocacy groups\u2014including VFW, IAVA, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, Protect Our Defenders, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, SWAN, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), Common Defense, and Veterans Recovery Project.\n\nIn addition to Senator Hirono, Senator Gillibrand was joined on the letter by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and 51 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Mr. Stebbins:\n\nWe write to express our strong concerns about the Army\u2019s purported failure to timely intervene in the alleged misconduct of Dr. Major Blaine McGraw at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center, allegations, which if true, would possibly constitute the largest sexual misconduct case in U.S. military history. According to reports, for years, Dr. McGraw allegedly sexually exploited women, including servicewomen and military wives, in his care. When these women attempted to report their concerns and experiences were purportedly repeatedly ignored and Dr. McGraw was kept on staff. The Army, like the other Services, has a history of failing to adequately address sexual misconduct in the ranks, which required Congress to step in and institute hundreds of reforms over the last fifteen years, culminating in the establishment of the Office of the Special Trial Counsel in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). One of those issues involved military services being slow to intervene in cases at an early stage. This appears to have happened in this case since Dr. McGraw was not suspended until this October. This delayed response is unacceptable, and we need answers. Separate, and not to interfere with the ongoing Army criminal investigation into the alleged misconduct of Dr. McGraw, we request the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General review if appropriate Military Health System policies were followed, to include whether patient complaints were timely evaluated and considered, and provide recommendations to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to prevent further instances like this from occurring in the future.\n\nThis month over 80 women joined a lawsuit together alleging that Dr. McGraw made lewd sexual advances and comments towards them, as well as secretly recorded patients during exams. One example of the women\u2019s horrific experiences is captured through Jane Doe\u2019s story. After reportedly being assaulted during a patient visit with Dr. McGraw, Jane Doe said she begged a desk attendant to make a report. Instead, she was told to \u201ccall or send an email.\u201d Jane Doe alleges she called the hospital seven different times but she was dismissed and hung up on each time. The purported lack of response and urgency to respond to these complaints would clearly violate reporting policy and the Army\u2019s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program protocols.\n\nIn the lawsuit, female servicemembers and patients noted that a recurring issue was the lack of adequate response from Army leadership. Reportedly, when victims and their loved ones tried to make complaints with Army leadership, they were \u201crefused meetings at every level.\u201d If true, these women deserve better. The alleged dismissive response from the Army demonstrates an immense failure at every level to properly support survivors.\n\nThe allegations against Dr. McGraw, and the Army\u2019s purported failure to timely address survivor complaints, are not isolated. A separate investigation deemed Fort Hood as a notoriously \u201cpermissive environment\u201d for sexual harassment and assault. The base has been plagued by this issue for years. For example, in 2020, Army Specialist Vanessa Guill\u00e9n was murdered by a fellow soldier while stationed at Fort Hood. Throughout her time on base, Specialist Guill\u00e9n was sexually harassed by a separate supervisor. Specialist Guill\u00e9n\u2019s tragic murder was the impetus for the aforementioned changes in the FY22 NDAA. However, even with these positive reforms, it is clear more needs to be done. The fact that this reported abuse occurred at the same base as Specialist Guillen\u2019s murder is appalling. All women should be safe on a military base, and they surely should be able to safely seek treatment without fear of sexual assault or abuse.\n\nThe allegations against Dr. McGraw are extremely serious, and the Army\u2019s criminal investigation of this matter must continue unabated. That said, the separate concerns raised by survivors about members of the Army at many levels not timely acting on their complaints must be confronted immediately. Additionally, we request that DoD IG investigate to determine whether personnel within the Army properly followed procedures to timely report allegations of sexual misconduct to law enforcement and whether other SAPR procedures and existing protections were followed or not. We therefore request a response to the following questions from the Defense Health Agency and the Inspector General within 60 days of receipt:\n\nPlease provide the range of dates for the sexual harassment/assault complaints filed, including the number of complaints received at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center relating to Dr. McGraw.\n\nWhat was the Military Treatment Facility management\u2019s response to each complaint at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center?\n\nHow did the Military Treatment Facility management at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center follow appropriate policies to supervise staff, prevent patient harm, and address patient complaints?\n\nWhat are the next steps the Military Treatment Facility management at Fort Hood and Tripler Army Medical Center will take to further protect patients from sexual assault?\n\nHow will the Defense Health Agency ensure that no Military Treatment Facility will ignore sexual abuse allegations again?\n\nHow will the Defense Health Agency prevent future concealment and employment of sexual abusers on their staff across Military Treatment Facilities?\n\nWas a quality assurance investigation initiated? If so, please share the status with the House Armed Services Committee.\n\nWhy did the Army fail to take disciplinary actions against Dr. McGraw until his October 2025 suspension?\n\nWe are committed to demanding justice for victims of sexual assault and harassment, and we will not stay silent while the safety of women is at risk. Again, we request prompt and thorough answers to these questions to prevent further harm and hold those responsible for this accountable.\n\nThank you for your prompt attention to this request.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-colleagues-demand-accountability-from-army-for-sexual-misconduct-failures/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3657580129802227, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}