Clinton Joins Call For Iraq Rape Probe

Former Halliburton Contractor Says She Was Raped, Detained By Co-Workers In Baghdad

(CBS/AP)  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday urged top Bush administration officials to investigate a former contractor's allegations she was raped and detained by co-workers in Iraq.

Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York, called for the probe of Jamie Leigh Jones' allegations in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

"These claims must be taken seriously and the U.S. government must act immediately to investigate Ms. Jones's claims," Clinton said in the letter released Wednesday.

Jones, a former Conroe, Texas, resident, filed a federal lawsuit in May against Halliburton Co., its former subsidiary, KBR Inc., and others claiming she was raped while working for a Halliburton subsidiary at Camp Hope, Baghdad, in 2005.

In her lawsuit, Jones said she lived in a coed barracks, endured harassment from men and was drugged and raped. She said her attackers were Halliburton and KBR firefighters and that the barracks were under control of the government, KBR and Halliburton.

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Jones and her attorney, Todd Kelly, spoke about the case with The Early Show's Russ Mitchell Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. To see the interview, click here. Mitchell filed a report that day. To see it, click here.

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Clinton cited news reports that Jones was held in a shipping container to prevent her from reporting the allegations. Clinton said no government agencies have investigated the allegations.

Officials with KBR issued a statement saying the company believes Jones' allegations are without merit. The company said the safety and security of all its employees are its top priority.

Karl Duckworth, a State Department press officer, said the agency had not yet received Clinton's letter. In a press briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the department acted immediately when it received information, conducted an investigation and gave findings to the Justice Department. He said the investigation was a Diplomatic Security investigation.

Peter Carr, a Justice Department spokesman, said in an e-mail the agency is reviewing the letter but declined further comment because the matter is an ongoing investigation. A spokesman for the Defense Department and Jones' lawyer did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Clinton's request follows another from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, a Democrat, and Texas Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican, for a full accounting from the Justice Department of its investigation.

Poe, who helped Jones get home and is helping her now, said her story is for real.

"The proof is in the medical reports that she was brutalized while she was in Baghdad," Poe told CBS' The Early Show on Wednesday.

"We've contacted the attorney general, the Justice Department to find out what has been done, why aren't these people being prosecuted, bring them to justice," Poe said. "And we're going to get some answers."

The House Judiciary Committee scheduled a hearing for Dec. 19 on Jones' allegations.

Jones' case got renewed attention this week after ABC News previewed a report of the allegations it plans to air on "20/20" next month.

The Associated Press usually does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Jones' face and name have been broadcast by ABC and her own Web site.

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Jones has established a foundation, whose Web site describes it as "a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping United States citizens and legal residents who are victims of sexual harassment, rape and sexual abuse while working abroad for federal contractors, corporations, or government entities." It can be reached by going to http://www.jamiesfoundation.org.

[prinzowhales]

Now that we have the moral authority of a man who as governor of Arkansas traded cocaine for *** with an underage girl in a state office building behind the call for an investigation of the rape of young woman by Cheney''s Haliburton goons, I''m sure we''ll see some action.

Where are the pictures of the suspects? The Justice Department has said its not in their province... Soldiers! Serve these Halliburton punks up on a platter for Christmas!

[pakaal]

j-whitman: "I wonder what''''s taking republicans so long in retaliating against Jamie Leigh Jones with investigations & Swift Boat attacks ??"

Ask and ye shall receive:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/13/right-wing-bloggers-blame-the-terrorists-for-kbr-rape-case-and-vice-versa/

Get this: "if the terrorists wanted to undermine the war effort.... this would be the perfect way to do it. Find an intelligent, attractive young woman to claim she was gang raped by contractors who work at the Vice President%u2019s company, and then get a Republican congressman and the State Department to back up part of her story. It%u2019s brilliantly evil and almost foolproof!"

Just when you think wingnutters don''t have any soul left, whoosh! Their souls implode into black hole souls that suck the goodness out of all around them!

[j-whitman]

I wonder what''s taking republicans so long in retaliating against Jamie Leigh Jones with investigations & Swift Boat attacks ??

[j-whitman]

verifyuser,,,,, When are you going to stop hating Americans ??? Not only are the majority of America including our military & even some in your own party are Liberal ----- The 1st 3 letters in the word LIBERTY are LIB

[hwy71so]

"If she doesn''''t call for the impeachment, arrest and trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the people who caused the circumstance to exist in the first place (the Bush klan), then she shows little credibility calling for the probe of the underlings'''' misdeeds...

Posted by brianbwb at 03:08 AM : Dec 14, 2007"

She couldn''t do that as it would incriminate herself. Anyway, an overwhelming majority of Americans were in favor of going to Iraq. Get over it already.

[formrusmcsgt]

Hillary makes sure that a letter requesting an investigation of rape gets wide publicity yet chooses to apologize in private to Obama for her own campaign''s smear tactics instead of doing the honorable thing and apologize publicly.

Apparently, her formula is "smear in public then apologize in private".

[mcvet]

Of Course she is, but where was she when her Hubbie was raping women. So Glad Obama is about to take that old, nasty, witch of a women out. She needs to go back to cooking and covering for her sexually sick husband.



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Posted by jedi08 at 02:41 AM : Dec 14, 2007
+ report abuse

So in your sick perverted mind, you being one of the Toe Tapper''s, you opinion of Ms. Clinton is much more important than the issue of this rape?? Wow! You wonder sometimes how people get sucked into Fascism then some MORON like this come''s along and makes it all to clear. Anyone who scares these creeps that much has got to be good for the country... Go Hillary!! Sieg Heil Bush!

[feelfree1]

KBR goons...that is...

[prinzowhales]

Let''s get some names and pictures of the accused up there so our soldiers know who they are and can deal with them--let''s also find out where the ''rape kit'' went and deal with those in the chain of custody who don''t come clean. This is intolerable. No contract can protect the accused in the commission of a criminal act.

[feelfree1]

terrorislam7,

Re: "radical islam wants you dead"

Let''s see...either dead...or gang-raped by Blackwater goons...

Which way are you leaning on this one, "terrorislam7"?

[brianbwb-2009]

If she doesn''t call for the impeachment, arrest and trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the people who caused the circumstance to exist in the first place (the Bush klan), then she shows little credibility calling for the probe of the underlings'' misdeeds...

[jedi08]

Of Course she is, but where was she when her Hubbie was raping women. So Glad Obama is about to take that old, nasty, witch of a women out. She needs to go back to cooking and covering for her sexually sick husband.

[rudy654-2009]

Back then, it was all about smearing the accuser. Funny how ethics can be a ''''fluid'''' force.
Posted by Infidel_Us at 07:07 PM

Funny how you don''t care about the rape of a young girl, unless you can find some political nonsense to throw in.

[rudy654-2009]

Like I said Haliburton is only in Iraq for the oil. She''''s gonna have to prove they were there for something else.
Posted by mudrose at 02:58 PM

Do you even know what it is you are talking about? You make about as much sense as a snowman on a hot Florida beach.

[infidel_us]

Too bad Hillary didn''t show the same zeal when it came to investigating OTHER rape allegations wink, wink .

Back then, it was all about smearing the accuser. Funny how ethics can be a ''fluid'' force.

[mudrose-2009]

Clinton''''s right on this one.

Posted by denn034

Of course, anything out of Iraq is questionable. Go for it Hil.

[denn034]

Clinton''s right on this one.

[mudrose-2009]

This matter is more of a corporate criminal issue as it occurred within a private company and company employees and not a national issue.

What the Iraqi rape probe should investigate is how this administration has raped US citizen and entrapped them in Iraq. That is the real crime. Now where are the cops?

Posted by yongamerica

Yes, they were hog-tied and abducted. I definitely think the regime should be investigated for such practices. Only I think you aren''t really talking about the U.S. Must be some far off country like Venezuela, or Iran, or in the remote hills of Pakistan where they enslave people and kidnap them against their will. Which brings me to the question why you aren''t volunteering to do something positive for your country - which is I can only presume some communistic regime. Right? ***?

[fornicario]

I think that the way a American company that is awarded two billion dollars in contracts from the government to operate in a war zone treats it''s own American employees in a war zone IS a question of national significance. After all, if her charges are true, and the only way to find out is through a no-holds-barred investigation, then this American company has raped, isolated, and in my humble opinion, tortured her, for no better reason than these people wanted to rape and humiliate her. Now, what must we do to ensure that American rights are respected? Or maybe the "left wing conspiracy" has it right and common Americans have no more rights.

[yongamerica]

This matter is more of a corporate criminal issue as it occurred within a private company and company employees and not a national issue.

What the Iraqi rape probe should investigate is how this administration has raped US citizen and entrapped them in Iraq. That is the real crime. Now where are the cops?