Fox Commentator: Military Rape, "What Did They Expect?"

By Andy Newbold, Media Matters for America

13 February 12

Fox's Liz Trotta on sexual assault in military: "What did they expect? These people are in close contact."

uring a segment about new rules regarding women in the military, Fox News contributor Liz Trotta attacked the Department of Defense for increasing spending on support programs for victims of sexual assault. Trotta also reacted to a Pentagon report showing a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults since 2006 by stating: "Well, what did they expect? These people are in close contact."

Trotta began by claiming "we have women once more, the feminist, going, wanting to be warriors and victims at the same time" and later added that feminists "have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over the place, victims' advocates, sexual response coordinators.... you have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much."

When Fox News anchor Eric Shawn said that "many would say that they need to be protected," Trotta replied: "That's funny, I thought the mission of the" armed forces "was to defend and protect us, not the people who were fighting the war."

From the February 12 edition of Fox News' America's News HQ:

ERIC SHAWN (co-anchor): So this is now causing a controversy?

LIZ TROTTA (Fox News contributor): Well, it's a controversy that won't be a controversy because of political correctness. But we have women once more, the feminist, going, wanting to be warriors and victims at the same time. So what is the news? The news is that the Pentagon is going to add 14,000 more jobs for women in the military, but the overall ban against serving in the infantry, in special operations units, and combat tank units, is still in place. Well, you may ask, why did 140 women die in Afghanistan and Iraq if this ban was in place? Well the whole way we wage war has changed enormously. No front lines, no clear delineation of where troops are. Women can be attached to battalions, but they can't actually be in battalions. That would get down to the real guts of how we fight wars - and that is being a member of the infantry.

But while all of this is going on, just a few weeks ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta commented on a new Pentagon report on sexual abuse in the military. I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women. And the sexual abuse report says that there has been, since 2006, a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults. Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact, the whole airing of this issue has never been done by Congress, it's strictly been a question of pressure from the feminist.

And the feminists have also directed them, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over the place, victims' advocates, sexual response coordinators. Let me just read something to you from McClatchy Newspapers about how much this position on extreme feminism is costing us. "The budget for the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office leapt from $5 million in fiscal 2005 to more than $23 million in fiscal 2010. Total Defense Department spending on sexual assault prevention and related efforts now exceeds $113 million annually." That's from McClatchy Newspapers.

So, you have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much.

SHAWN: Well, many would say that they need to be protected, and there are these sexual programs, abuse programs, are necessary -

TROTTA: That's funny, I thought the mission of the Army, and the Navy, and four services was to defend and protect us, not the people who were fighting the war.

SHAWN: Well, you certainly want the people fighting the war to be protected from anything that could be illegal.

TROTTA: Oh, look, I mean, that's - nice try Eric. This whole question of women in the military has not been aired properly, and it's the great sleeping giant.

Trotta also appeared on Fox News yesterday to discuss a Newsweek story about the persecution of Christians globally. During the segment, the topic of CBS News reporter Lara Logan's sexual assault was raised, and Trotta said:

TROTTA: I think the Lara Logan thing is a completely separate thing. Any woman - and I've been in those crowds - any woman who's going to be in one of those highly passionate crowds in the Middle East where Islamics are running around yelling "Allahu Akbar" is taking her life in her hands. And so, I mean, you know the least that can happen to you is that you'll get felt up, so you have to know that going in. But I think that's separate from what's happening to Christians. They are being sacrificed for their religion.

From the February 11 edition of Fox News' America's News HQ: