WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) — Top U.S. Air Force officials are investigating whether the punishment of pilots using who texted Miley Cyrus lyrics about the drug “Molly” was excessive.
Three instructor pilots at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, who have not been publicly identified, have been grounded and may see their Air Force careers come to an end after investigators found the word “Molly” mentioned in their text message communications.
Air Force Times reports their commander Col. Brian Hastings, stripped the pilots of their wings after issuing letters of reprimand.
“Molly” is a slang term for an illegal party drug, sold as pure MDMA but often synthetic, and is used in the Miley Cyrus song “We Can’t Stop.” According to Fox News, officers at the Texas base believed the lyrics were evidence the pilots were distributing drugs. The pilots maintain they were referencing the song, not covertly referencing their own use of the drug.
The pilots passed drug tests, and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations found no evidence the pilots have been using drugs, but the Air Force still deemed their texts unprofessional.
The case has drawn the attention of lawmakers. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), R-Ill., said the actions taken against the pilots are excessive.
“At no point did investigators obtain any evidence beyond the initial text messages to support an allegation of illicit drug use,” Kinzinger wrote in a letter in September. “To think that could be considered criminal, especially in the absence of evidence that a crime occurred, severely undermines the integrity of the Air Force’s investigative process.”
Last week, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh responded to lawmakers’ concerns by calling for an inquiry by the Inspector General into the pilots’ cases.
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