Sen. Cornyn responds to government criticizing military's performance for criminal reporting

HOUSTON – U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was back in the Lone Star State on Friday, less than 48 hours after Channel 2 Investigates informed him the U.S. Air Force did not monitor Sutherland Springs shooter Devin Kelley following his "early release" from military confinement.

"This individual had two or three, maybe more, red flags waving," Cornyn said. 

Following Sunday's massacre, the Air Force admitted it failed to inform the FBI of Kelley's criminal past. 

When Channel 2 Investigates caught up with Cornyn at a news conference in Southeast Houston, he informed KPRC he met with the chief of staff for the Air Force, who acknowledged there were problems in its reporting. 

Channel 2 Investigates uncovered a 1997 report from the inspector general of the Department of Defense that criticized the Military Criminal Investigative Organizations, stating that, "They are not consistently submitting criminal history data to the FBI criminal history files.”

After being asked him how the problem continues 20 years after the fact, Cornyn said, “Tragically, it takes a terrible incident like this to raise it to everybody's attention and I wish that weren't true but now that it has been raised to our attention, we have no excuse for failing to address it." 

The senator said there is bipartisan consensus in Washington, D.C., that this problem has to be addressed immediately and he plans to be one of the key players when legislation is introduced in the near future. 


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