Top Marine general asks victims of nude photo scandal to come forward

WASHINGTON -- Fewer than 10 women victims have come forward so far in the investigation into nude photos of female service members that were posted online without their permission, the top Marine general said Friday. He pleaded with female Marines to “trust us” and reach out to make complaints or seek help.

“I need their help,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine commandant. “I’m going to ask them to trust us. I understand why that might be a bit of a reach for them right now. But I can’t fix this. ... The only way there is going to be accountability in this is somebody comes forward and tells us what happened to them.”

Heller will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday to testify about the scandal.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported on Thursday that the investigation has spread to include all four branches of the military and multiple websites. The top enlisted member of the Marines, Senior Master Sgt. Ronald Green, told lawmakers that a Facebook group originally at the center of the scandal is just the “tip of the spear.”

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Neller expressed frustration and disgust at the nude-photo sharing. He acknowledged there are a lot of unanswered questions about what happened, how many people or Marines were involved and what some of the legal parameters will be for punishing service members who posted or shared the photos or who made threatening comments about them.

He said the controversy has an effect on the entire Marine Corps and the investigation must be done carefully.

“We don’t want to be in a hurry. We want to make sure we’re thorough and we’re within the law,” Neller told a Pentagon news conference.

“This affects our entire organization,” the general said, noting that men and women Marines have been serving side-by-side at war for 15 years, many losing their lives.

The photo-sharing underscores longer-standing issues surrounding women in the Marine Corps. In 2015, the Marine Corps was the only military service to ask that women be excluded from competing for certain frontline combat jobs. Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter rejected the request, and women are now allowed to seek combat jobs in all the military services.

But there still may be a sense that women aren’t accepted by some members of the corps.

“So what do you gotta do to get in?” said Neller, staring into the line of cameras in the back of the room. “I mean, c’mon guys. They just want to do their job. Let them do their job. And you do yours.”

Neller has created a task force to look at the scope of the problem and any underlying issues, and to develop plans for any corrective actions, policy changes or additional training that may be needed.

On Friday, officials said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will meet military and civilian officials in coming days about the reports.

Mattis also issued a statement condemning the actions.

“The purported actions of civilian and military personnel on social media websites, including some associated with the Marines United [Facebook] group and possibly others, represent egregious violations of the fundamental values we uphold at the Department of Defense,” Mattis said in a written statement.

Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that Mattis wants the services to take appropriate action.

Former and current female Marines have said their photographs were shared on social media without their consent. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched an investigation into the matter and is urging victims of the photo-sharing to come forward.

NCIS says it has received numerous tips. The other services are looking into the matter, but say they aren’t aware of other victims.

Active-duty Marine Marisa Woytek and former Marine Erika Butner appeared at a news conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday to applaud the investigation.

Butner, 23, who served for four years before leaving the Marines in 2016, said she contacted investigators in January and told them there was an online storage drive that contained “indecent photos of women from all military services, organized by name, rank and even where they were stationed.”

The women’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, said there may be hundreds of such postings and that they prompted pornographic and violent replies, including some recommending that female Marines be raped or shot.

In a video message released Tuesday, Neller said Marines should be focused on preparing to fight, “not hiding on social media participating in or being aware of actions that are disrespectful and harmful to other Marines. It’s embarrassing to our Corps, to our families and to the nation.”

The nearly four-minute video, distributed on various Marine websites and social media pages, were the first expansive comments Neller made about the reports.

Victims can reach the NCIS by going to its website.