A Pentagon investigator’s report exonerated an officer whose anti-Muslim remarks sparked complaints

Evidence

When word of Boykin’s speeches came out, Arab and Muslim groups accused him of bigotry and demanded his removal. Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee called for an inquiry and for Boykin to step down until cleared of wrongdoing, but Rumsfeld backed Boykin, and he retained his position. The report concluded that Boykin had violated three internal regulations, but the substance of his remarks was not addressed; a senior defense official called the report a “complete exoneration,” finding Boykin responsible only for a few “relatively minor offenses,” technical and bureaucratic matters. Boykin emerged from the situation largely unscathed. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 517