Ted Cruz

And I think we will get –

very widespread bipartisan support.

To be honest, those six are the only six I asked.

I started with them, I've worked, all of them I've worked with on previous legislation.

But I'll tell you, Gillibrand and I started working on this issue more than a decade ago, because she was a leader in going after sexual assault in the military, and there's been a real problem with sexual assault in the military.

And the way it used to work is the decision about whether to prosecute a rapist was made by the commander.

And the commander frequently knew the violator, often was close to the violator, and victims of sexual assault in the military were afraid to report the rapes because they didn't believe the commander would be fair, they believed the commander would be biased in favor of the violator.

And so Gillibrand, and this is back 2013 when I was a brand new baby senator, had just been elected.

Kirsten was leading the charge saying, this doesn't make any sense.

And the decision of whether to prosecute should not be made by the commanding officer, but rather should be made by a career military prosecutor.

So in the military, but not in the chain of command.

So not connected to the alleged violator.

And I will tell you, the Pentagon fought tooth and nail.

They hated that provision.

And I was on the Senate Armed Services Committee with Kirsten at the time, and I heard her make the argument, make the argument passionately for changing the prosecuting decision to a career prosecutor.

And it was one of those instances where sometimes you say hearings don't, you know, are kind of performance.

They don't necessarily change anyone's mind.

Well, I listened to her arguments and I was persuaded.

And I went up to her and I said, Kirsten, I want to team up with you and let's get this done.

And we did.