Whitley Speaks

In my column for RH Reality Check last week I reported that Dr. Kaye Whitley, the head of the Department of Defense's program on sexual assault, refused to appear before the House Oversight Committee despite the fact that the committee had issued a subpoena. Today, committee announced that the DoD has now agreed to let Whitley testify:

Yesterday, Chairman Waxman, Subcommittee Chairman Tierney, and Ranking Members Davis and Shays sent a letter [PDF] to Defense Secretary Gates seeking compliance with a subpoena of Dr. Kaye Whitley, who was instructed by her superiors not to appear at a July 31, 2008, hearing on sexual assault in the military, despite being under subpoena to do so.

Today, Defense Department officials notified Committee staff that Secretary Gates has agreed to comply with the Committee’s subpoena and make Dr. Whitley available to testify.