Ted Poe: “Jamie Leigh Jones was a 20-year-old and went to Iraq as a civilian contractor. Here is her story: after being in Iraq…”

“Jamie Leigh Jones was a 20-year-old and went to Iraq as a civilian contractor. Here is her story: after being in Iraq just a few days, she said she was drugged and gang raped by fellow employees. She was held hostage in a cargo container for 24 hours without food or water. She was assaulted so badly that later she had to have reconstructive surgery. She convinced one of the people guarding her to let her borrow a cell phone. She called her dad. Her dad called my office in Texas. With the help of the State Department, we helped immediately to rescue her, and she was quickly brought back to America. But no one has been held accountable for these crimes. The rape kit and the forensic evidence apparently were compromised by somebody in Iraq. During this Victims' Rights Week, we need to realize that when citizens go to a war zone and serve their country and a crime is committed against them, they should have justice. People like Jamie Leigh Jones deserve the protection of our law. The long arm of the law should reach in lands far away to hold perpetrators accountable for assaulting fellow Americans in time of war because justice is what we do in this country. And that's just the way it is.”