House Oversight panel releases memo on Coast Guard sexual misconduct investigation

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability released a memo on Friday addressing its investigation into alleged sexual misconduct within the U.S. Coast Guard, noting the military branch's resistance to the probe.

The panel found how the Coast Guard "hid 'Operation Fouled Anchor' from Congress; how it failed to address both historic and persistent sexual misconduct at the USCG Academy; and how USCG failed to help victims and hold perpetrators accountable," according to the memo.

"Operation Fouled Anchor," according to the Coast Guard, "was a historical examination of sexual assault cases that took place at the Coast Guard Academy from late 1980s to 2006," the panel's memo explains.

The operation and other related misconduct reviews were withheld from Congress and the public, according to the House committee. Coast Guard Academy leadership also refused to follow the military branch's policy regarding sexual assault and misconduct and did not notify the proper authorities.

During the time of the assaults that were investigated by the operation, the Coast Guard Investigative Service "was not a fully functioning law enforcement agency," according to the committee memo.

The congressional investigation began last December, and both the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard "have obstructed the investigation and have not provided fulsome Reponses and documents pursuant to the committee’s request," the panel stated.