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“CBS THIS MORNING” EXCLUSIVE: NORAH O’DONNELL SITS DOWN WITH ARIZONA SENATOR MARTHA MCSALLY

McSally believes the prevalence of sexual assault in the military is a national security threat; tells victims “don’t let your assaulter rob you of your future.”

CBS THIS MORNING co-host Norah O’Donnell sat down with Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) today in Washington, D.C. for the lawmaker’s first and only television interview since revealing she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the United States Air Force.

Senator McSally, the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, tells O’Donnell she believes the military chain of command has to “step up and do their job,” and that sexual assault in the military poses a threat to America’s national security.

Norah O’Donnell has reported extensively on sexual assault in the armed services, winning a News Emmy for her work on sexual assault at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

A segment of the interview airs tomorrow, March 7 with more to follow Friday, March 8 on CBS THIS MORNING (7:00-9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.

CBSNews.com available here.

Excerpts:

  • “…it’s not just as a commander that I speak, but it’s as a survivor that I just felt I needed to talk about it. But it isn’t about me, I wanted to give the perspective of why I am advocating so strongly for women in the military and why I’m advocating that the command chain has to step up and do their job to rid us of sexual assault…”

  • Norah O’Donnell: “Do you think the prevalence of sexual assault and abuse in the military is a national security threat?”

Senator McSally: “I do. I do…but for sure I don’t want people to think like well maybe it’s just all these problems we have now that there are women in the military. Think about it - if you have a predator, if you have a rapist who is serving in uniform, you don’t deal with it by keeping a woman out of their unit. Because that predator is going to go assault someone else.”

  • “If anybody last night or 50 years ago has also been through a sexual assault, I just want to give them some hope. I want to shine a flashlight for them - that today can be a new day. That they can find some healing in their own lives. They can find their own purpose and not be held back and not be stopped from fulfilling all of their potential in life because of the awful things that they were victimized from. Don’t let your assaulter rob you of your future. Don’t do it.”

Press Contact:

Samantha Graham 212-975-6795 grahams@cbsnews.com