Both parties. @WhiteHouse & both chambers of Congress. Federal & State. Let’s do this!

🚨Instagram permanently deleted the @BringRidgeHome IG today without warning.🚨 The account had over 20k followers and had accumulated millions of views across posts/reels/stories. Who’s behind this censorship? Japan? DoD? Suspicious since those two entities have been most upset since the WH coordinated Ridge Alkonis’s transfer and DoJ ordered his release. What’s up with this @instagram?

I’ll go on the record anytime to discuss the details and intricacies of the Ridge Alkonis case. There’s a lot of misinformation/disinformation about the Alkonis case, and the @USNavy is the source of most of it. Have nothing to hide—and I guarantee the Navy, OSD, SecNav, & @CNFJ don’t want me testifying before HASC or SASC.

In 2022, @BrittanyAlkonis sent the attached letter to prominent members of the House Armed Services Committee. The letter outlined the Navy’s misconduct and Japan’s violations of the Status of Forces Agreement in the Ridge Alkonis case.

If revoking Alkonis’s promotion was actually about committing a “crime” and not about politics, then why didn’t the Navy revoke the promotion 2.5 years ago when Alkonis was originally convicted?? Answer that. Because— The Navy knew Alkonis wasn’t actually culpable, that he had only done what Navy Lawyers had told him to do to navigate Japan’s hostage justice system. If the @USNavy really believed Alkonis was guilty, they would have immediately revoked his promotion when he was convicted (when he went to prison at the very latest in July 2022). They had since Aug 2021 (when the conviction occurred) and since July 2022 (when he reported to prison) to revoke his promotion. Instead, they only did it when they got concerned about media and political attention in Japan after Alkonis’s recent release by the Department of Justice.

Over 7-months ago I submitted an IG complaint to the @USNavy concerning misconduct and abuse of power by Rear Admiral Carl Lahti (commander, @CNFJ), concerning his treatment of LT Ridge Alkonis. After interviews with the Navy’s Inspector General team, my complaint was forwarded to the @DoD_IG because of the seriousness of the complaint. No further investigation was done. No report. No accountability. Once again, the @DeptofDefense brushed another serious IG complaint surrounding the Alkonis case under the rug. The @SecDef's pentagon and the @secnav's navy are being run with zero accountability. Congress needs to exercise much more oversight over these rogue entities.

Secretary Austin’s @DoD_IG also refused to investigate my allegations of the @USNavy misleading Congress.

I’d encourage @McCainJack, @mrjeffu , and others who want to pile on with the hate on Ridge Alkonis to look at what the Navy’s own report said about Alkonis. Do you really thing that after truly reviewing what happened with all of the details, context, and nuance associated with a case in Japan that it would bring together Congress and the White House from both parties if Alkonis was really guilty? Elected and appointed leaders across the political spectrum—far left, far right, center left, center right—have understood how tragic this whole thing has been after reviewing the details of this case. Lost innocent lives is tragic. Imprisoning and punishing a good man for an unforeseeable accident only perpetuates the tragedy.

Let's get something straight-- No one is taking anything away from the two innocent Japanese citizens who lost their lives in the Alkonis accident. It was a tragedy. It happened in May 2021 and the Alkonis family did nothing for over a year other than apologize profusely, cooperate, and pay a record cultural condolence payment to the victims' family. They didn't talk to the media for over a year. All they did was express sorrow for the victims and condolences to the affected family. Now, over 2.5 years later, people want to perpetuate the tragedy by imprisoning and ruining the career of an exemplary naval officer and incredible human being for a medical episode, a true accident. That's not justice, and it doesn't do anything to heal anyone's pain. In the trial, when the victims' family members were pleading for "the harshest possible penalty," Alkonis was testifying about how he prays every day for the victims and their families. Alkonis has spent most of his adult life living in Japan. He loves Japan. His shipmates describe him as an incredible ambassador for the US-Japan alliance, always helping fellow service members understand and respect Japanese culture. If he, or his wife, had any inkling that something tragic was going to happen, that someone would get hurt, they wouldn't have been in the car. But they didn't know. And tragically people were hurt--in an accident. Alkonis, his family, and his supporters mourn the loss of innocent life. But we will not accept brutal retribution and punishment for something that wasn't a crime and that wasn't done maliciously.

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In the military's final summary report on the Ridge Alkonis case, the Navy stated: "No misconduct or wrongdoing is being alleged from any U.S. military or U.S. civilian authorities." "The incident does not warrant promotion delay or removal, and LT Alkonis should be allowed to promote as soon as possible." It's obvious that @SECNAV and RADM Carl Lahti chose to remove Alkonis's promotion out of petty retribution for the political & media attention garnered by the Alkonis case.

It’s completely out of line and unprofessional for the Secretary of the Navy and Flag Officers to be basing mid-grade officer promotions on the views of someone’s “supporters” who post on social media. Absolutely an abuse of power.

The Navy started backing away from Lt. Alkonis’s promotion last year — not because of new information about Alkonis, but based on the fact that his case became “a matter of public discussion.” Why does that make any sense? On what planet is that a fair way to treat Alkonis?

Alkonis’s promotion should have been based on this 👇, not @SECNAV’s retribution for unwanted media and political attention.

The Navy selected Ridge Alkonis to be promoted based on his exemplary leadership and performance! His commanding officers regularly recommended him for early promotion and early command. Yet now, the @SECNAV has baselessly denied Alkonis the promotion he earned in 2021.

To all military spouses, your military member’s career will be affected by everything you do and say. #LtRidgeAlkonis is being punished for MY advocacy and nothing more. @SecDef @SECNAV shame on you. @POTUS your military leaders are failing your service members.

The @USNavy is unjustly punishing LT Ridge Alkonis because the @SECNAV and flag officers didn’t like the media and political attention Alkonis garnered.

The @USNavy has denied Ridge Alkonis his promotion to LCDR. Alkonis was selected and scheduled to be promoted on Oct 1, 2021; however it was put on hold while the legal case in Japan played out. After the court case completed in 2022, Alkonis’s chain-of-command (including the three-star commander of 7th Fleet) recommended that Alkonis’s promotion be restored. In May 2023, RADM Carl Lahti (two-star commander of @CNFJ) then decided to submit a separate negative endorsement of Alkonis's promotion. Take a look at the third paragraph of RADM Lahti’s endorsement—a lengthy statement about the public’s opinions of the Alkonis case and the political support around Alkonis. “The outcome of this accident divided a portion of the Navy community in Yokosuka, and is a matter of wide discussion on multiple social media platforms both in and out of Japan.” How does this statement have anything to do with Alkonis being deserving of promotion, or his ability to serve as an O-4?? It’s apparent that Lahti and @SECNAV have abused their power by using personal political prejudices to punish Alkonis for unwanted media attention around the Alkonis case.

.@RepLaLota, who visited Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis while he was in US custody, says he wants to propose legislation to reform the Status of Forces Agreement to give military members overseas access to more resources like lawyers and translators when they’re accused of a crime.