Senators call on Obama to investigate sexual assault cases

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Barack Obama is being urged by two U.S. senators to investigate whether the Pentagon misled Congress with information about sexual assault cases in an effort to undercut support for a Senate bill that senior military officials steadfastly oppose.

The military records buttressed the Pentagon's position against the bill — which is sponsored by Gillibrand and backed by Grassley — that would strip senior officers of their responsibilities to decide whether to prosecute sexual assault crimes.

The records portrayed civilian district attorneys and local police forces as less willing than senior military officers to punish sex offenders.

"The allegations in the Protect Our Defenders report and the AP article include providing inaccurate information to a congressional committee, misleading the Congress, and undermining efforts to make critical reforms to a broken system," the senators wrote.