Gillibrand slams Army for ‘empty promises’ following general’s suspension

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee sharply rebuked the Army following the suspension of an Army Africa commander over allegedly sending sexually harassing texts.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said the case involving the commander of U.S. Army Africa’s Southern European Task Force is “just another example of an utter lack of good order and discipline from a top general who is supposed to be in charge of stemming the tide of this boorish behavior in the first place.”

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The New York Democrat has pushed for years for harsher penalties by the military for inappropriate sexual conduct.

“For over 20 years, top brass has been pledging zero tolerance for this type of inappropriate behavior — yet on an all too often basis we see these are empty promises,” she said in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Harrington of the U.S. Army Africa was suspended this week for allegedly sending suggestive texts or Facebook messages to the wife of an enlisted soldier, USA Today reported.

“Harrington has been suspended from his duties as the Commander of United States Army Africa’s Southern European Task Force pending the completion of an investigation by the Army’s inspector general,” Army Col. Pat Seiber said in a statement, according to the report. “Given that the matter is under investigation, we can provide no further comment at this time.”