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The Senate confirmed Thursday the appointment of Air Force General John Hyten as vice-president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States, after months of delay in the investigation of sexual misconduct complaints.
Hyten's former assistant, Army Colonel Kathryn Spletstoser, accused the general of assaulting her in a California hotel room in 2017. She said that Hyten l & # 39; Kissed, hugged and rubbed against her as she pushed him away and asked him to stop. to derail his military career after pushing him back.
The Senate confirmed Hyten by a vote of 75-22, indicating a little more opposition than most military appointments, who often enjoy almost unanimous Senate support. The only Republican to vote "no" is Joni Ernst, of Iowa, who survived a sexual assault while he was at the university and who was a former reserve officer.
"This has been a painful time for me and my family, but I want to say as much as possible to the American people that these allegations are false," said Hyten at a hearing before a committee held in July. "Nothing happened, never."
General John Hyten appears before the Senate Committee on the Armed Forces in July.
(AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
A separate investigation by the Air Force has revealed no evidence to support the charges. Officials told Fox News that Spletstoser had launched similar charges against at least a dozen other army officers over the last few years, without any of them being justified.
Officials said Spletstoser was fired from his job under the command of Hyten, who ran the US Army nuclear arsenal, a few months after the alleged incident, for creating a "toxic" and submissive work environment. "intimidating" to a "volcanic temperament".
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It was Spletstoser's behavior under Hyten that led Ernst to question Hyten's candidacy at the hearings.
"There are professional responsibilities associated with being a senior leader, that is, to ensure that your commanders follow your directive and do not engage in toxic leadership," she said. "That leaves me worried about your judgment and ability to lead one of the highest positions in the US military. "
Other "no" voters on Thursday include two Democratic presidential candidates, Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who has made sexual misconduct in the military one of her main problems in the Senate; and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran of the Iraq war who lost his legs when his helicopter was shot down.
Senator Martha McSally, R-Ariz., A former fighter pilot who has publicly described her own sexual assault which she says took place while she was in the military, gave her support.
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"Let's be clear, it was not just a basic balloon – it's not a so-called," she said, "said McSally to the Senate Armed Services Commission in July. . "This is not a situation in which we simply can not prove what has allegedly happened, I believe that the truth is still in our country, and the whole truth has been revealed in this process.
The truth is that General Hyten is innocent of these accusations, "McSally continued. Sexual assault occurs in the army. This did not happen in this case.
"The confirmation by today's Senate of General John Hyten as Vice President of the Joint Staff is good news for our military and for our country," he said. General David F. Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force. "John Hyten is the leader, the strategist and above all an individual with the character and values needed to lead our men and women in uniform."
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Navy General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, congratulated Hyten, calling him a "visionary leader with an unprecedented strategic perspective." Dunford retires next Monday after four years. Mark Milley.
Hyten served in the Air Force for nearly four decades and recently led the US Strategic Command, which controls the US nuclear force. He also led the Air Force Space Command and served as mission director at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, the iconic defense defense bunker during the Cold War.
Associated Press and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
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