Corporal Jesse Thorsen, the Army reservist who took the stage at a Ron Paul campaign rally at the Iowa caucuses on January 3, has been found in violation of Department of Defense directives.
According to the Army, “the investigating officer found that Spc. Thorsen was in violation of DoD Directives and Instructions when, while in military uniform but not on any duty status, he participated in a partisan political rally and made a speech advocating for a partisan political candidate while in uniform, and received a reprimand that has been placed in Spc. Thorsen’s Official Personnel File.”
Breitbart.com called the 416th Theater Engineer Command for additional information, and left a message for Maj. Mary Olodum, but has not yet received a response for further comment.
The Thorsen investigation stems from a January 3 incident in which the corporal began speaking to CNN‘s Dana Bash in support of Ron Paul’s foreign policy.
Thorsen’s interview was interrupted, and Ron Paul later brought Thorsen onto the stage to address the crowd–a clear violation of military policy.
In 2008, the Army Times reported: “Active-duty members may register, vote and express their opinions on political candidates and issues — but not as a representative of the armed forces. In other words, you cannot appear at any kind of political forum in uniform and speak on behalf of a particular candidate.”
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