An airman found to be a member and fundraiser for the white supremacist group Identity Evropa is one step closer to being kicked out of the Air Force.
Tech Sgt. Corey Reeves has already been reprimanded and administratively reduced in rank. Now an administrative board has recommended that he also be discharged, said Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Volpe.
Because Reeves has been in the Air Force for more than 16 years, he is entitled to have the board’s decision reviewed, Volpe told Task & Purpose on Monday.
It was not immediately clear how long the ongoing review process might take.
Air Force Times reporter Stephen Losey first revealed on Monday that the administrative board had recommended discharging Reeves, who was serving as an operations superintendent with 2nd Space Operations Squadron before he was investigated for this ties to Identity Evropa.
The Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists first accused Reeves in April of being a member of Identity Evropa and spreading white supremacist propaganda in Colorado.
At a Feb. 12 hearing, several lawmakers were incensed that Reeves was still serving in the Air Force even though he was an active member of a white supremacist group.
It turns out that just belonging to a Neo Nazi group is not enough to be kicked out of the military, defense officials told the House Armed Services subcommittee on personnel.
The Air Force makes a distinction between airmen who are members of a hate group and those who actively participate in such groups by attending rallies and fundraising, said Robert Grabosky, deputy director of Law Enforcement at the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
“I am flummoxed by what I’ve heard today,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), the subcommittee chairwoman, said in response to Grabosky’s comments. “If you’re a member, that’s an activity. I think we need to take a look at that.”