The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps has suspended a general who reportedly made inappropriate comments about sexual harassment this month.
Brig. Gen. Kurt Stein, director of the Marine and Family Programs, was placed on administrative leave, the Marine Corps said Wednesday. His suspension was based on an anonymous complaint to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service tipline claiming Stein made the derogatory comments during a town hall April 6.
Stein told hundreds of civilian employees and Marines during the event in Quantico, Va., that articles detailing accusations of sexual harassment were “fake news” and made jokes about a chaplain who was fired after it was revealed he had sex in public, USA Today reported.
The articles Stein was referencing detailed allegations from two civilian officials who accused a Marine officer of making sexual overtures to them in 2013.
Capt. Loften Thornton, the Navy chaplain, was fired last month after he was caught on video having sex with a woman at a New Orleans pub. He was terminated due to a “loss of trust and confidence.”
“The Marine Corps expects every Marine, uniformed and civilian—and particularly those in leadership positions—to take allegations of misconduct seriously and to promote positive command climates,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. “As a Corps we are committed to fully investigating and holding ourselves accountable when those allegations are shown to be true. Leaders have a responsibility to ensure that their Marines and civilian employees believe they will be taken seriously if they come forward with allegations of misconduct of any kind.”
Stein has been the director of Marine and Family Programs since November 2016. He will remain on administrative leave while the allegations of his comments are investigated.
