Government to pay $975,000 in civil sexual assault case involving former StratCom chief
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The U.S. government is set to pay $975,000 to settle a civil sexual assault case against retired Gen. John Hyten.
Col. Kathryn Spletstoser alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The allegations, which spanned from February 2017 to February 2018, were made public in 2019, when then-president Donald Trump nominated Hyten to the Joint Chiefs.
At the time, Hyten was head of the U.S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha.
After a criminal investigation, the Air Force cleared Hyten of nine allegations of sexual misconduct in 2019.
Hyten told CNN that the settlement is “between the government and Col. Spletstoser” and that he was not involved in the negotiation.
The Department of Justice declined CNN’s request for comment.
