WASHINGTON — Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller will brief lawmakers in a pair of events next week on the investigation into the nude photos scandal which has raised questions about the service's attitudes towards female colleagues.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., said his panel will hold a hearing on the issue Tuesday with Neller. The event is at 10 a.m., and at least a portion of the conversation will be open to the public, a committee spokesman said. 

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said his members will also get a chance to ask Neller about the ongoing investigation, behind closed doors.

"I have no doubt the Marine Corps is taking this seriously," he told reporters. "I'm sure they are talking to lawyers and being careful about what they say publicly."

Numerous lawmakers have requested more public information on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service work on the case. Officials there have already said that active-duty troops involved in the photo sharing could face felony charges.

The potential crimes were first reported by the War Horse and published last weekend by the Center for Investigative Reporting. Hundreds of Marines may have been involved in sharing nude photos of female colleagues and friends, in many instances against their will.

An undetermined number of the photos were shared online through the Marines United Facebook page, a community with nearly 30,000 members, most of whom were active-duty U.S. Marines, Marine Corps veterans and British Royal Marines. The group has since been shut down.

NCIS is encouraging victims, both service members and civilians, to contact NCIS online.

In a video released online this week, Neller condemned the actions.

"We are all teammates. Brothers and sisters. Marines," Neller said. "We are seen by our fellow citizens as men and women of honor and virtue, possessing an unbreakable commitment to each other and to the nation...

"When I hear allegations of Marines denigrating their fellow Marines, I don't think such behavior is that of true warriors or warfighters."

But several lawmakers have questioned what role commanders may have played in fostering a larger service culture that is hostile towards women.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said on Wednesday a hearing is needed to see "whether this is part of a larger pattern of misconduct, the underlying environment that allowed something like this to happen, jurisdictional issues the military may face in addressing this behavior and whether the military justice system is equipped to hold perpetrators accountable."

On Monday, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., called the behavior "degrading, dangerous, and completely unacceptable" and said he expected Neller to "bring to justice" the individuals involved.

Thornberry said he understood the strong reaction to the scandal, but said he has confidence in how the military has handled the revelations thus far.

"I have talked to the commandant," he said. "I know they are taking this seriously."

Reporter Joe Gould contributed to this story.

Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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