From Press Release
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on the Justice Department to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for employees who purchase sex following an Inspector General report revealing that Drug Enforcement Administration employees attended “sex parties” with prostitutes while abroad.
In a letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who is nominated to be second in command at the Justice Department, Grassley noted statements from DOJ and the State Department asserting the link between buying sex and the demand for human trafficking. Grassley expressed concerns that the department is not doing enough to prevent employees from contributing to this demand, and asked whether Ms. Yates would consider pursuing a zero-tolerance policy for employees who purchase sex.
Grassley raised similar questions to Loretta Lynch, who is nominated to be the next Attorney General. Lynch did not definitively commit to such a policy.
Grassley’s letter follows a similar request he and 17 colleagues sent to Secretary of State John Kerry regarding whistleblower allegations that agency employees who purchased sex faced minimal consequences. Some whistleblowers allegedly faced retaliation for coming forward with the claims.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced bipartisan legislation last month to curb human trafficking in the United States. That legislation has been pending on the Senate floor for two weeks.
A signed copy of Grassley’s letter can be read by clicking here.
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