House Judiciary To Hear From U.S. Contractor Who Was Allegedly Raped In Iraq

The House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Crime, Homeland Security, and Terrorism will hear testimony on Wednesday from Jamie Leigh Jones, a contractor with Kellogg, Brown, Root, then a subsidiary of Halliburton Co., who was allegedly raped while employed in Iraq in 2005.

Jones claims that she was drugged and raped by some male colleagues. Following the alleged attack, Jones was evaluated by U.S. Army medical personnel, who confirmed that she was raped, Jones says, but the Justice Department does not have jurisdiction over U.S. contractors working in Iraq, so no criminal investigation was conducted. A number of lawmakers have proposed legislation that will extend American criminal laws to U.S. contractors working overseas.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), who has been working on Jones' behalf, will also testify at Wednesday's session.