Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Democrat, said one of the biggest problems with sexual assault on college campuses is that victims often blame themselves for the attack by drinking too much or voluntarily going to an attacker’s room.
“It’s the same crime, whether you’re passed out or there’s a gun to your head,” she said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
Reforms to the military sexual assault system, authored by Ms. McCaskill, passed the Senate earlier this year. Now, she’s moving on to college campuses, which she said face many of the same problems as the military, such as lack of resources and a low percentage of instances being reported.
When asked if she would consider withholding federal funds from colleges who don’t comply with rules about sexual assault resources, she said they needed to make sure the rules were right first.
“There are ways to withhold funds, but we have to make sure we have the right systems in place and right processes in place, then we can go after really strict enforcement,” she said.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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