Walter B. Jones: “today is the second day of the Article 32 hearing for Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, a marine who I have talked about…”

“today is the second day of the Article 32 hearing for Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, a marine who I have talked about at great length who has served our Nation bravely in both Gulf Wars. In an action of self-defense a year ago, Lieutenant Pantano made a split-second battlefield decision to shoot two Iraqi insurgents who refused to follow his orders to stop their movement towards him. Two and one-half months later, a sergeant under his command, who never even saw the shooting and who was earlier demoted for his lack of leadership abilities, accused him of murder. Because of that, Lieutenant Pantano today continues to face an Article 32 hearing where a hearing officer will determine whether he will face a court-martial for two counts of premeditated murder. Mr. Speaker, today's hearing came to a halt when it became apparent that Lieutenant Pantano's accuser, Sergeant Coburn, had recently violated his superior's orders not to give interviews on this case. The defense showed that he has interviewed with many media outlets. Just last week, New York Magazine ran a cover story on this case with multiple quotes from Sergeant Coburn. It is clear that his testimony cannot be considered credible. What is happening to this young man is an injustice.…”