Hirono, Hawaii Congressional Delegation Calls for Full Investigation of Former Tripler Doctor Accused of Secretly Recording Patients

~ Delegation also demands assessment of Army failures to avoid future misconduct ~

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following reports that a former Tripler Army Medical Center obstetrician-gynecologist secretly recorded patients during examinations, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-HI) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) called on the Department of Defense to thoroughly investigate every complaint against Major Blaine D. McGraw and the Army's own failures in allowing his alleged misconduct to persist.

"The damage done by Major McGraw's alleged actions is irreversible. Major McGraw was entrusted with caring for active-duty servicemembers and military spouses. The Department owes these victims accountability for its failure to stop this misconduct, including a comprehensive investigation and, where supported by the evidence, prosecution of Major McGraw under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to the fullest extent allowed," the delegation wrote in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbin, and Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll.

The lawmakers continued, "The trust of servicemembers and the community they serve must be continually earned. Therefore, we urge the Department of Defense to move swiftly and thoroughly in the investigation to address these allegations."

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Driscoll, and Acting Inspector General Stebbins,

We write with grave concern regarding the recent allegations of Army obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) Major Blaine D. McGraw. As you know, Major McGraw is alleged to have assaulted and exploited potentially thousands of former patients, including in Hawai'i - violating the basic principles of medical practice. Major McGraw's alleged actions run completely counter to the expected conduct of an U.S. Army officer and physician.

Given the extent of these allegations, the Army Criminal Investigation Division's (CID) investigation into Major McGraw's conduct must be extremely thorough. Major McGraw's medical residency at Tripler Army Medical Center spanned from 2019 to 2023. His residency also included mandatory and elective clinical rotations at civilian institutions. It is critical that Army CID and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) thoroughly review all patient complaints associated with his postings at Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Hood.

The damage done by Major McGraw's alleged actions is irreversible. Major McGraw was entrusted with caring for active-duty servicemembers and military spouses. The Department owes these victims accountability for its failure to stop this misconduct, including a comprehensive investigation and, where supported by the evidence, prosecution of Major McGraw under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to the fullest extent allowed.

The trust of servicemembers and the community they serve must be continually earned. Therefore, we urge the Department of Defense to move swiftly and thoroughly in the investigation to address these allegations. Any investigation must also be conducted with special care by Department investigators to protect the rights of patients and victims and follow federal privacy laws.

Furthermore, we urge the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD IG) to conduct an urgent inquiry into how the Army and the Department of Defense, the Defense Health Agency, and Major McGraw's supervisors failed to stop these alleged actions from occurring. The DoD IG should also provide an assessment and recommendations of potential systemic improvements to ensure that this type of misconduct never occurs again.

We also ask the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and the Defense Health Agency to provide a joint briefing within six months to update our offices on the current status and any reform plan concerning the Department's actions regarding Major McGraw's alleged conduct and the systemic failures that contributed to the alleged conduct.

We further request answers to the following questions:

1. Will the Department commit to a thorough investigation of all patient complaints regarding Major Blaine D. McGraw?
2. What external and internal trauma-informed resources and support services will the Department and Army provide to former patients and their families during and after the investigation?
3. How will Army CID's investigation uphold federal privacy protections of Major McGraw's former patients, while also ensuring alleged victims can provide valuable testimony and evidence to investigators?
4. Has the Department and Army notified the Hawai'i Medical Board of the suspension and active criminal investigation of Major McGraw?
5. Has the Department notified civilian medical institutions where Major McGraw practiced during his postings at Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Hood of its CID investigation and extended resources and support services to their potentially impacted patients?
6. Will the Department commit to identifying and assessing any systemic failures that allowed Major McGraw to engage in this alleged behavior for as long as alleged? Will the DoD also commit to providing information on how it will address these failures?
7. Will the Department conduct a review of the Defense Health Agency's Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs?
8. 1. Will the Department commit to investigating any medical providers who supervised Major McGraw or may have had knowledge of the alleged misconduct?
9. What programs, policies and procedures will the Department and DoD IG review to ensure that victims of sexual assault or misconduct by physicians and other medical providers feel empowered to file complaints and that their complaint will be taken seriously?

Sincerely,

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