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u.s. news Dialuna 25 aPRil 2022

Split verdict in first-ever Air Force general military trial

(AP) — An Air Force ma- backyard barbecue in New
jor general in Ohio has Mexico nearly four years ago.
been convicted by a mili- Officials said the woman is a
tary judge of one of three civilian who is not a Depart-
specifications of abusive ment of Defense employee.
sexual contact in the first-
ever military trial of an Cooley was to be sentenced
Air Force general. Monday morning and could
face as much as seven years in
The charge faced by Maj. jail as well as loss of rank, pay
Gen. William Cooley during and benefits.
the weeklong court-martial
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Cooley had the option of a
Base in Ohio had three speci- trial by court member ju-
fications, one alleging a forc- rors or by military judge, and
ible kiss and two alleging chose to have the case heard
forcible touching in 2018. by the judge.
Cooley was convicted Sat-
urday of the forcible kissing “Today marks the first time
specification but acquitted of an Air Force general officer
the other two. has been held responsible
for his heinous actions,”
Officials said the verdict the woman’s attorney Ryan
marks the first court-martial Guilds, said in a statement,
trial and conviction of a gen- the Dayton Daily News re-
eral officer in the Air Force’s ported. “... Hopefully, this
75-year history. will not be as difficult for the
next survivor.”
A former commander of Air
Force Research Laboratory, Cooley was fired from his job since then. A message strates the commitment of they fail to uphold Air Force
Cooley was charged with research laboratory position seeking comment was left for Air Force leaders to fully in- standards,” Col. Eric Mejia,
abusive sexual contact in an in January 2020 after an Air his attorney Saturday. vestigate the facts and hold staff judge advocate for Air
encounter with a woman Force investigation and has Airmen of any rank account- Force Materiel Command,
who gave him a ride after a worked in an administrative “This case clearly demon- able for their actions when said in a statement.

Long-serving US Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah dies at age 88

(AP) — Orrin G. Hatch, the lon- fending Justice Clarence Thomas Trump administration, willing to
gest-serving Republican senator President Joe Biden, whose served against sexual harassment allegations work with liberals to find common
in history and a fixture in Utah with Hatch in the Senate over three during confirmation hearings. ground and compromises,” Harkin
politics for more than four de- decades, on Sunday described the Re- said.
cades, has died at age 88. publican lawmaker as a fighter for the He later became an ally of Republi-
causes he believed in, but with a soft- can President Donald Trump, using Utah’s Sen. Mike Lee called Hatch “a
The retired senator’s death Saturday er side including writing songs and his role as chairman of the powerful friend, a mentor and an example to
was announced in a statement from poems that he shared with friends. Senate Finance Committee to get a me and countless others.”
his foundation, which did not specify major rewrite of U.S. tax codes to the
a cause. “To serve with Orrin, as I did for president’s desk. In return, Trump Hatch was noted for a side career
over three decades, was to see — and helped Hatch deliver on a key issue as a singer and recording artist with
A staunch conservative on most appreciate — both,” Biden said in for Republicans in Utah with a con- themes of his religious faith, The
economic and social issues, he also a statement. “I saw that energetic, tentious move to drastically downsize Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
teamed with Democrats several times sharp-elbowed Orrin in the many two national monuments established Saints.
during his long career on issues rang- battles we had over tax policy, the by past presidents.
ing from stem cell research to rights right of workers to join a union, and He is survived by his wife, Elaine,
for people with disabilities to expand- many others.” Hatch retired in 2019. Trump en- and their six children.
ing children’s health insurance. He couraged him to run again, but the
formed friendships across the aisle, Hatch championed GOP issues like longtime senator would have faced a Hatch was elected to the U.S. Senate
particularly with the late Democratic abortion limits and helped shape the tough primary and had promised to in 1976 and served seven terms to be-
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. U.S. Supreme Court, including de- retire. Hatch encouraged Republican come the longest-serving senator in
Mitt Romney, a Trump critic, to run Utah history. He became the Senate
to replace him. president pro tempore in 2015 when
Republicans took control of the Sen-
“Few men have made their mark on ate. The position made him third in
the Senate as he did,” Romney wrote the line of presidential succession be-
in a tribute to his friend and prede- hind then-Vice President Joe Biden
cessor, praising his “vision and legis- and the Speaker of the House. His
lative accomplishment.” tenure places him as the longest GOP
senator, behind several Democrats.
Former Democratic Sen. Tom Har-
kin of Iowa issued a statement recall- One issue Hatch returned to over
ing Hatch’s help in securing conser- the course of his career was limiting
vative support for the Americans with or outlawing abortion, a position that
Disabilities Act in 1990, which Hatch put him at the center of one of the
would later rank among his most im- nation’s most controversial issues.
portant accomplishments. He was the author of a variety of pro-
posed “Hatch amendments” to the
“Orrin was always a likable conser- Constitution aimed at diminishing
vative, and until the advent of the the availability of abortions.