Inspector General

20151113-034269 4
physical contact after she raised her hands. She told us that she left MG Lewis’ room after she
rejected his advance.
MG Lewis told us initially in his interview with us that he had no recollection of physical
contact with the female enlisted Service member in his room. Later in our interview he denied
attempting to have or actually having physical contact with the female enlisted Service member.
Official travel-related conduct in Malaysia
Witnesses told us that in November 2015 in Malaysia, the Secretary of Defense travel
delegation hosted an informal event in their hotel’s executive lounge that included members of
the press. According to witnesses, during that event MG Lewis sat very close to a female DoD
civilian subordinate, shared a cigar with her, conversed in whispers, and the two touched arms
and hands in a manner that witnesses described as “arms around each other,” “questionable
behavior,” “extremely intimate,” “chummy,” and “did not seem innocent.” Members of the
Secretary of Defense’s travel delegation observed this behavior. One witness told us she had
never seen MG Lewis, a married man, act that way “with another woman.” MG Lewis’
interactions with the female DoD civilian raised “a red flag” with several witnesses, and caused
his conduct and the nature of his relationship with the female DoD civilian to be a conversation
point among other delegation members.
California, August 26 -29, 2015
Official travel-related conduct in Palo Alto
Witnesses told us that in August 2015 during a Secretary of Defense travel delegation
visit to California, a female enlisted Service member reported to MG Lewis’ hotel room because
MG Lewis had requested to speak to her about the day’s events. The female enlisted Service
member told us that she went to MG Lewis’ hotel room with a stack of briefing papers, and
knocked on his door. She told us that she identified herself to MG Lewis, and he invited her to
“come on in.” She stated that when she entered his hotel room, he came out of the bathroom
shirtless and dressed only in gym shorts. She said that this caught her off guard and she looked
down at the briefing papers to avert her eyes. When she completed her brief to him, he asked her
for a document she did not have with her, and she left his room to retrieve it. She told us that
when she returned later with the retrieved document and announced herself at his door,
MG Lewis again invited her to come into his room. She said he was still wearing only his gym
shorts. She told us the incidents made her uncomfortable and concerned for her professional
reputation because people could get the wrong impression seeing her coming out of MG Lewis’
room, and him shirtless and wearing only gym shorts.
An officer who witnessed the incidents from the hallway told us that he could see the
female enlisted Service member was embarrassed by the situation. The officer expected that in
both instances MG Lewis would excuse himself to put clothes on before conducting business
with the female enlisted Service member, but “unfortunately that was not the case.”
The female enlisted Service member later told another officer about the incidents and
expressed to him that they made her uncomfortable. The officer who witnessed the incidents and