WASHINGTON — Retired Army Lt. Col. Steve Russell accused a fellow House colleague of labeling him "a rapist" for opposing sweeping changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice during a tense legislative mark-up on Wednesday.

Russell's comments drew immediate criticism from House Democrats for being an off-base overreaction to what they see as legitimate concerns over how sexual assault cases are handled in the ranks.

The controversy came about six hours into the House Armed Services Committee's mark-up of the annual defense authorization bill. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., offered an amendment to the policy bill that would have called for more random selection of courts-martial members, arguing that commanders can exert unfair influence in sensitive prosecutions.

"We want to make sure that service members get the same level of justice as individuals in the civilian world," she said.  

The move is part of a larger, years-long push by Speier to separate sexual assault cases from the military chain of command. Russell, R-Okla., took it as a personal attack.

"As a soldier and a commander, I took part in a court-martial that put a lieutenant colonel in prison," he said. "I also sat on two war crimes tribunals … I have no concerns about the military being able to put fair and impartial panels for the most serious crimes."

"I didn’t know I was such a knuckle dragger, that I was so close minded, that I was a rapist, that I was a murderer, that I was a sexual assaulter, until I came to Congress and often heard from my colleagues about how horrible I was as a commander."

Speier and other members of the panel were confused by Russell’s leap in logic. "I thank you for your service to this country, but I don’t like having my words twisted," she said.

The amendment ultimately failed on a voice vote. The committee has adopted numerous changes to the military justice system in recent years, but some advocates have said they don’t go far enough.

Speier has been at the forefront of much of that criticism, and offered multiple amendments during Wednesday’s debate related to additional changes.

Russell spent 21 years in the Army, serving as a Ranger and commander of 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry during a combat tour in Iraq.

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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