Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, recently celebrated the U.S. Coast Guard for abruptly putting an end to what he calls an ‘indefensible’ practice of using Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for victims of sexual assault.
In April, Cruz’s office released a statement detailing his investigation into previous sexual assault cases while serving as the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee. It was discovered that the USCG had been unlawfully restricting sexual assault victims from sharing information about their assaults through NDAs.
Following this revelation, Cruz forwarded the case to various bodies, including the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Inspector General for Homeland Security, and the U.S. Special Counsel, which initiated its own inquiry.
In a letter to U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan, Cruz expressed concern over the Coast Guard’s failure to disclose investigations into sexual assaults and urged for the removal or rectification of any illegal NDAs. This came in response to what Cruz described as a potential cover-up of past sexual abuses at the Coast Guard Academy.
Operation Fouled Anchor, initiated in 2014, was based on numerous emails from Cruz detailing reported sexual assaults at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy spanning from 1988 to 2006.
After a 2020 investigation by the USCG, it was determined that there were inadequacies in handling the allegations and holding perpetrators accountable. Cruz criticized the delayed disclosure of Operation Fouled Anchor to Congress and the public.
Following Cruz’s intervention, the Coast Guard announced last month that NDAs would no longer be used to shield sexual abuse survivors.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Special Counsel released a report outlining corrective actions by the Coast Guard, including public notices and training sessions on whistleblower rights and prohibited practices.
Hampton Dellinger expressed gratitude towards Cruz for spotlighting this issue and hopes that the Coast Guard’s steps will prevent further violations.