‘Several’ witnesses corroborate sexual misconduct allegation against McDonald, accuser says
Global News
The revelation comes just days after McDonald sent a letter to senior military officers claiming his exoneration from sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The woman at the centre of the sexual misconduct allegation against Adm. Art McDonald says that there were “several” eyewitnesses that corroborated her story, including at least one senior Navy officer that Global News was able to verify.
The revelation comes just days after McDonald, who is the Canadian Armed Forces’ Chief of the Defence Staff, sent a letter to senior military officers on Thursday claiming his exoneration from the allegation. The letter also argued for his “immediate” return to the top military post.
Speaking with Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson in an exclusive interview Sunday, navy Lt. Heather Macdonald shared her disappointment with the military chief’s decision to send out a letter maintaining his innocence, despite the claim of at least one witness who corroborated her story of the alleged assault.
Macdonald said that the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) did not say her statement was unsubstantiated during her debrief with them, and that the military police investigation did not say that the top military leader had been exonerated in any way despite their decision to not charge him.
“I felt somewhat betrayed by that letter, personally,” she said.
According to Macdonald, military police had interviewed dozens of people from the event where she alleged the sexual misconduct took place, and that “several witnesses” corroborated her story.
Macdonald said one of the witnesses was a duty officer who was sober at the time of the alleged assault.
Global News was able to speak to and verify the duty officer mentioned by Macdonald, who told Global News that he also gave a statement to military police corroborating Macdonald’s version of events.