More Republicans are saying their military records were improperly released after the Air Force alerted close to a dozen people that their records were in the hands of a third party.
Former GOP House candidates Sam Peters of Nevada and Kevin Dellicker of Pennsylvania received letters on Feb. 8 alerting them that Abraham Payton of Due Diligence Group requested their military records multiple times last year, according to Politico.
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They join Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) in requesting an investigation into the “unauthorized release” of the records. The records of former GOP House candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green of Indiana were released in October.
In Peters’s and Dellicker’s cases, copies of the records were “improperly requested … for the stated purpose of employment and benefits.” Payton, who was the research director for the Democratic group American Bridge, represented himself as a background investigator and already possessed the Republicans’ Social Security numbers at the time of the requests.
Republicans want to know if the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and any Democratic challengers played a role in receiving and using the information.
“Look, you sanction a hit man to kill somebody, you’re guilty of a crime. You sanction somebody to steal, you’re guilty of a crime,” Peters said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday. “And the DCCC needs to be [held to account], and I fully intend on making sure they are.”
In a letter to Peters, the Air Force told him his record, a DD Form 214, was released in February 2022 and that military personnel records were released roughly three weeks later. Dellicker’s DD Form 214 was also released in February of that year.
In total, 11 people have been affected by the release of “military duty information.” Bacon originally heard of the release during a meeting with the secretary of the Air Force on Feb. 2, per a letter sent to the congressman.
The Air Force launched an internal audit within the military branch after learning of the records release.
“Department of the Air Force employees did not follow proper procedures requiring the member’s authorizing signature consenting to the release of information. There was no evidence of political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek previously told the Washington Examiner. “Through ongoing monthly audits, we are committed to preventing any such unauthorized disclosure of private information from occurring again.”
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has released the findings of the internal audit to the Justice Department, which has not said whether there will be an investigation.
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“This social engineering trick that [Payton] pulled was made more credible because, according to the Air Force, he already had my Social Security number,” Dellicker told Politico. “Now, the Air Force still isn’t supposed to release this information without my signature.”
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) have asked for a complete list of the 11 people whose records were improperly released, as well as details on what “administrative or punitive” actions were taken against the employees involved.
