Pentagon chose not to investigate child porn claims

[will_in_chicago]

Most of the people I have met who have served in the U.S. military have struck me as honorable people. I might not have agreed with them politically, but I honored their service.

Now, an investigation shows that several military officials and civilian employees of the Department of Defense purchased child pornography and the Pentagon decided NOT To investigate some of the people found to have done so.

Here are some details from the Upshot:

Pentagon declined to investigate hundreds of purchases of child pornography
By John Cook

A 2006 Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation into the purchase of child pornography online turned up more than 250 civilian and military employees of the Defense Department -- including some with the highest available security clearance -- who used credit cards or PayPal to purchase images of children in sexual situations. But the Pentagon investigated only a handful of the cases, Defense Department records show.
The cases turned up during a 2006 ICE inquiry, called Project Flicker, which targeted overseas processing of child-porn payments. As part of the probe, ICE investigators gained access to the names and credit card information of more than 5,000 Americans who had subscribed to websites offering images of child pornography. Many of those individuals provided military email addresses or physical addresses with Army or fleet ZIP codes when they purchased the subscriptions.

In a related inquiry, the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) cross-checked the ICE list against military databases to come up with a list of Defense employees and contractors who appeared to be guilty of purchasing child pornography. The names included staffers for the secretary of defense, contractors for the ultra-secretive National Security Agency, and a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But the DCIS opened investigations into only 20 percent of the individuals identified, and succeeded in prosecuting just a handful.

Any such accusations should have been investigated, and charges pressed depending on the evidence. An accusation is not guilt, but a serious accusation demands an investigation.

I consider those who prey on children to be the lowest form of life, but I will respect the rule of law. This is despite having part of me that wants to find those who hurt children and ask that the punishments of Vlad Tepes the Impaler and Ogodei Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan who once had an enemy force fed his own body parts considered standard punishment for such crimes. I do not lightly use the word evil, but I will use it in this instance. I will use it for anyone involved in child pornography and the bastards who chose NOT to investigate. Damn them to Hell!

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Rule #1: Always cover your own ass.

That is what they all think about first and foremost.

[izquierdista]

2. I sure wouldn't investigate

Because then I would have a bunch of files on my desk that had child porn in them. :hide: I'd rather defuse a nuclear weapon.

[will_in_chicago]

3. Investigators can examine...

Investigators can examine the files, even though I suspect many will feel utterly disgusted and might need to talk to a counselor after seeing them. I just feel that it is wrong for an agency not to investigate such serious allegations.

[sendero]

4. 5 star general....

... meet pope.