Pentagon to Review Sen. John Walsh’s Plagiarism

US Senator John Walsh (D-MT) will be investigated by both the Pentagon and the US Army after the New York Times uncovered some rather blatant plagiarism in Walsh’s master’s degree thesis.

The LA Times reported that both the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense have jurisdiction over the case: Walsh wrote the thesis in question while at the US Army War College, and while it’s unusual for the Pentagon to step in, they’re allowed to investigate accusations of wrongdoing against members of Congress and military officers. “We have an obligation to send that package [with the relevant academic review board materials] to the DOD [Inspector General] to perform its independent and objective responsibilities,” an Army War College spokeswoman told the Times.

According to the provost of the War College, speaking to the AP, a panel of four will oversee the college’s investigation, and then forward their findings to the Army’s Inspector General, “which will forward them to the Defense Department’s inspector general’s office.” It is unclear who will make the final decision.

If found guilty, the War College will rescind Walsh’s degree (and, rather dramatically, scrape his name off a bronze plaque listing all its graduates). The Pentagon — well, no one’s sure what the Pentagon will do. Whatever they could do, Walsh’s re-election campaign is totally done.

[h/t The Hill]
[Image via screenshot/Yahoo!]

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