DOD IG Cites Officer Misconduct:

A just-released DOD Inspector General report cites three Air Force officers—two named and one whose name is blacked out—along with four Army officers for their actions that “improperly endorsed” a promotional video for Christian Embassy. The named Air Force officers are Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, who retired Aug. 1, and Maj. Gen. Jack Catton, who retires Jan. 1, 2008. According to the report, the officers participated in uniform and in ways that signified official endorsement of the promotional video. DOD civilians who participated in the video project were exonerated from wrongdoing because they did not refer to their positions or appear in recognizable parts of the Pentagon, where the video-taping was done. In response to the IG findings, Sutton “accepted responsibility” for his actions and vowed to “be more alert to ethical issues,” noting though that he had participated in “good faith” that the video project had received official approval. Catton maintained that DOD itself had “violated the [Joint Ethics Regulation] by endorsing Christian Embassy’s ministry to general officers for over 25 years.” Catton also noted that the project had been approved by DOD Public Affairs.