{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/in-a-new-letter-sent-today-maine-congressional-delegation-continues-to-press-for-independent-army-inspector-general-investigation-of-events-leading-up-to-the-lewiston-shooting", "In a new letter sent today, \r\nMaine Congressional Delegation Continues to Press for Independent Army Inspector General Investigation of Events Leading up to the Lewiston Shooting", "2023-12-08", "2023", "2023-12", "Independent", "Senate", "ME", "Angus S. King, Jr.", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", "angusking", "https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/table", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden sent a follow-up letter to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Army, Lieutenant General Donna W. Martin, to further press for a comprehensive review of the facts leading up to the October 25 mass shooting at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille in Lewiston.\n\n\u201cWe believe it is imperative that you, as the Inspector General of the Army, conduct an investigation separate from the ongoing administrative review conducted pursuant to the Army\u2019s Suicide Prevention Program regulations. This tragedy warrants a much broader, independent inquiry,\u201d the Delegation wrote in the letter. \u201cWe must work to fully understand what happened\u2014and what could have been done differently that might have prevented the Lewiston shooting\u2014on the local, state, and federal levels. We must also give the American people confidence that the investigation is comprehensive and unbiased.\u201d\n\nSecretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth, and Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense Robert P. Storch were copied on the letter.\n\nOn November 2, Senators Collins and King sent an initial letter requesting an Inspector General investigation into the facts and events leading up to the shooting.\n\nThe full text of the letter is as follows:\n\nLieutenant General Donna W. Martin\n\nInspector General\n\nU.S. Department of the Army\n\n1700 Army Pentagon, 3E588\n\nWashington, D.C. 20310\n\nDear General Martin: We write regarding our request for your Office to conduct a comprehensive review of the facts and events leading up to the October 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.\n\nOn November 15, 2023, Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo sent a letter suggesting that the U.S. Army Reserve\u2019s \u201cadministrative investigation into the actions and events that preceded SFC Card\u2019s death\u201d is sufficient to satisfy our request. Our staffs subsequently contacted you and reaffirmed with the Army\u2019s Legislation, Investigations, and Nominations (LI&N) Division our request that you launch a separate, concurrent investigation into the facts and events leading up to the Lewiston shooting as soon as possible. On December 5, 2023, the LI&N Division confirmed that the ongoing investigation is an \u201cadministrative investigation mandated by Army Regulation 600-92, not an Army Inspector General (IG) investigation.\u201d\n\nWe understand, consistent Army Regulation 600-92, that an investigation is completed for every suspected or confirmed suicide, and we support such an investigation in this case. Nevertheless, Army Regulations appear to specifically anticipate the need for \u201cconcurrent investigations\u201d in certain circumstances. Indeed, Army Regulation 15-6.B.5 makes clear that investigations \u201cmay be conducted before, concurrently with, or after an investigation into the same or related matters by another command or agency.\u201d As you know, there is precedent for Inspector General inquiries following shooting events involving current or former military personnel.\n\nWe believe it is imperative that you, as the Inspector General of the Army, conduct an investigation separate from the ongoing administrative review conducted pursuant to the Army\u2019s Suicide Prevention Program regulations. This tragedy warrants a much broader, independent inquiry. We must work to fully understand what happened\u2014and what could have been done differently that might have prevented the Lewiston shooting\u2014on the local, state, and federal levels. We must also give the American people confidence that the investigation is comprehensive and unbiased.\n\nThank you for your attention, and we reiterate our request that you begin your work on this matter expeditiously.\n\nSincerely,\n\nSenator Susan M. Collins\n\nSenator Angus S. King Jr.\n\nCongresswoman Chellie M. Pingree\n\nCongressman Jared F. Golden\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "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.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/in-a-new-letter-sent-today-maine-congressional-delegation-continues-to-press-for-independent-army-inspector-general-investigation-of-events-leading-up-to-the-lewiston-shooting"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.01312599144876, "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"}