A Reporter's Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour – April 17, 2026
Episode Theme:
A Reporter’s Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice

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Episode Overview

This compelling episode of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, hosted by Scott Bertram, focuses on courageous stories of confronting sexual trauma and the challenges of seeking justice. The centerpiece is an in-depth conversation with Anna Giratelli, Homeland Security reporter for the Washington Examiner and author of "Under Assault: A Crime Reporter’s True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice." The episode also includes a segment on Hillsdale College’s new documentary film “Revolutionary America” and features excerpts from a recent speech by CNN political commentator Scott Jennings.

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Key Segments

1. Revolutionary America Documentary Preview

Guest: Jeremiah Regan, Executive Director of Online Learning, Hillsdale College
Timestamps: 01:10–12:48

• About the Film:
  Hillsdale College is producing its first theatrical documentary film, Revolutionary America (narrated by Tom Selleck), in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The film depicts the American Revolution’s story with a focus on narrative immersion and historical accuracy.

• Innovative Approach:
  “We’ve taken great pains to make it feel like a story... it feels like you’re sitting around a campfire hearing the story of the founding of our nation.” (Jeremiah Regan, 01:39)

  • Use of dynamic, animated 3D maps.
  • Family-friendly—“Everything will be virtuous and salutary and you won’t have to worry about your children seeing anything you don’t want them to see.” (Regan, 02:35)

• Production Notes:
  Special efforts in visual effects, authentic storytelling, and expert interviews.
  Tom Selleck’s voice acting brings gravitas.
  “He loves America. He’s a patriot... It was great to work with a professional like Tom Selleck.” (Regan, 06:22)

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2. Interview: Anna Giratelli’s Personal and Investigative Journey

Guest: Anna Giratelli, Author and Washington Examiner reporter
Timestamps: 14:40–39:13

Early Silence and Societal Barriers

• Quote:
  "Women who name names face retaliation. Women who don't are ridiculed for being too scared or are accused of making up the story... Women cannot win." (Anna Giratelli, 15:13)
• Explains cultural and institutional difficulties for women coming forward.
• Advocates for changing the environment to support honesty and healing:
  "Women needed to see an example of courage and hope to move forward." (Giratelli, 15:51)

The Assault and Immediate Aftermath

• Narrative of April 4, 2020:
  Giratelli was violently assaulted in a public area of D.C. during broad daylight and COVID lockdown, with bystanders eventually intervening.
  “I was attacked randomly by a large man and fought for my life... the assault became a sexual assault.” (Giratelli, 17:15)
• The trauma changed the course of her life, shifting her from journalist to survivor.

Recovery and Support (or Lack Thereof)

• She identifies the importance of physical presence after trauma, especially during April 2020’s isolating lockdown.
  "People need to see your action... just do something, send a meal... sit with them. You don’t have to talk. Those are the things that I needed and didn’t get." (Giratelli, 18:43)

Persistent Psychological Impact

• The timing of the assault—thirteen years after a previous one—deepened the trauma:
  “To me, that said, you're doomed... Being a sexual assault victim... you can't overcome." (Giratelli, 20:23)
• Recovery involved faith, counseling, and ongoing reframing:
  "God does not have bad things. He has actually the opposite as a child of his." (Giratelli, 20:23)

Systemic Injustice: Police and Legal Response

• The attacker was a repeat offender, released multiple times due to jail overcrowding and systemic failures:
  "He was arrested five more times... and released all five times the following day before we got to the case moving forward.” (Giratelli, 21:57)
• “Living in disbelief that the system would do more to protect people in jail than people on the street.” (Giratelli, 21:57)

Crime Data Manipulation and Media Investigation

• As a reporter, Giratelli discovered her own assault was omitted from D.C. police crime stats, along with countless others:
  "D.C. police continue to leave out countless numbers of felonies from the crime stats and purposely covering it up... If this was serious enough for the U.S. attorney’s office to prosecute, why wasn’t it serious enough to be on the crime app?" (Giratelli, 24:06)

Rules for Safety—and Their Limits

• Challenges the “rules” for self-protection:
  “I did everything right. I was out during the day in a popular safe area, and yet this happened to me... Sometimes it’s easier... to point at a victim and say something they did was wrong, then actually, you can do everything right and still get attacked.” (Giratelli, 26:35)

Ongoing Emotional Struggle and Family Perceptions

• Long-term trauma, panic attacks, and the invisibility of suffering to family and friends:
  "Some family members didn’t know about what happened to me at 17... or the extent of how this attack in D.C. really affected me." (Giratelli, 28:01)
• Publishing the book provided healing and understanding for her and her family.

Healing and Rebuilding

• Moving geographically after the attacker’s sentencing signified personal progress:
  "Moving to a new place where I knew no one wasn't scary, because I had already put scary stuff behind me... I would argue, a happier life now than I was living in 2020 before the assault." (Giratelli, 30:00)

Political Recognition and Speaking Out

• President Trump’s D.C. crime press conference inspired Giratelli to publicly share her story:
  "I felt like I was finally being seen for the first time... someone was saying, we don’t need to live like this.” (Giratelli, 32:06)
• Giratelli’s op-ed detailed how D.C. police covered up her crime and many others.

Personal Story vs. Statistics

• Emphasizes the necessity of human stories, not just statistics:
  “17 million women have been victims of rape or attempted rape since 1998... it’s not just a crime. It changes you... and frankly, it ruins your life if you let it.” (Giratelli, 34:11)

Finding Purpose and Empowerment

• Giratelli evolves from feeling purposeless to finding mission in storytelling and advocacy:
  “I do feel this is my best piece of work yet... It’s about equipping women and having a conversation... It’s going from victim, where something’s done to you, to survivor, where I’ve chosen to survive and I’m empowered.” (Giratelli, 37:08)

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3. Excerpts: Scott Jennings at Hillsdale National Leadership Seminar

Guest: Scott Jennings, CNN Political Commentator
Timestamps: 41:27–48:22

• Defense of Western Civilization:
  "We are all on the front lines of a fight that will determine whether our children and grandchildren grow up in a world where the values of the West persevere, or a world shrouded in darkness..." (Jennings, 41:27)

• Current Divides in American Politics:
  Modern political struggle isn’t just about policy—it’s about the future of the nation’s values and civilization itself.

• Critique of Political Opponents:
  Sharp criticism of the “radical left,” including their focus on identity politics and perceived departure from American foundational values.
  "These people have completely lost their minds. They care more about pronouns than paychecks... They are working harder for criminals than they have ever worked for victims." (Jennings, 44:25)

• Religious Liberty and Fundamental Rights:
  Advocates for the idea that fundamental rights originate from God, not government, making them unassailable by political forces:
  “If your rights come from God, that is something different altogether. No politician can vote them away... no angry mob can shout them down.” (Jennings, 46:37)

• Call to Action:
  Urges the audience to act as stewards of Western civilization:
  “To paraphrase the lion of the West, Winston Churchill, the flame of Christian civilization cannot be extinguished. It may flicker, but it will never go out." (Jennings, 48:22)

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Notable Quotes

• Anna Giratelli:

  • "Women needed to see an example of courage and hope to move forward from what they’re going through rather than just staying quiet..." (15:51)
  • "It changes you, and frankly, it ruins your life if you let it." (34:11)
  • "I’ve chosen to survive and I’m empowered and I’m making the calls now." (37:08)

• Jeremiah Regan:

  • “We wanted to commemorate our founding, do honor to our founders... and give citizens something to experience together as a family.” (02:35)
  • "We created 3D maps that look really cool... to help you both understand what’s happening and also they're a lot of fun..." (03:59)

• Scott Jennings:

  • “We now face the most radical anti-American political opposition... It’s scary, really, how much the liberal movement has been hijacked by the enemies of the West...” (41:27)
  • “If your rights come from God, that is something different altogether. No politician can vote them away...” (46:37)
  • “Defending Western civilization is not an act of nostalgia. It is an act of stewardship.” (48:22)

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Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Speaker(s) | Start | |---------|-------|------------|-------| | 1 | Revolutionary America Film | Jeremiah Regan | 01:10 | | 2 | Anna Giratelli Interview | Anna Giratelli | 14:40 | | 3 | Scott Jennings Speech Excerpts | Scott Jennings | 41:27 |

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Conclusion

This episode serves as a powerful testament to personal perseverance, the systemic barriers victims face, and the necessity of honest storytelling to expose injustice and inspire change. Anna Giratelli’s story, both harrowing and hopeful, exemplifies the journey from victim to empowered survivor and advocate. The episode also spotlights the role of community, history, and foundational values in facing adversity, whether personal or societal.

Those seeking insight into not just the statistics of crime but the lived realities—and looking for reasons to care, hope, and act—will find this episode essential listening.

Transcript

[Scott Bertram]

From the historic campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the good, the

[Jeremiah Regan]

true and the beautiful are taught, nurtured

[Scott Bertram]

and honored, this is the Radio Free

Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education

[Jeremiah Regan]

of the college to listeners across the country.

[Anna Giratelli]

D.C. police continue to leave out countless numbers of felonies from the crime stats and purposely covering it up. And as I looked at the stats, I thought I'm gonna look for my stat and I didn't see mine.

[Scott Bertram]

This is your host, Scott Bertram. Welcome to the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour. That was Anna Giratelli. She's the author of the new book Under Assault, A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice. We go in depth with Anna about that book a little bit later on in today's program. Plus, we hear excerpts from a recent lecture by Scott Jennings at a Hillsdale NLS event. First, we're joined by Jeremiah Regan. He's executive director of online learning here at Hillsdale College. Jeremiah, thanks so much for joining us.

[Jeremiah Regan]

Scott thanks for having me.

[Scott Bertram]

Excited to have you today to discuss Hillsdale College's theatrical debut in theaters soon, a film called Revolutionary America. It'll be May 31, June 1, June 2. We'll give you details here. Can find more at hillsdale.edu film. It's going to be a great experience for people who are just finding out about it, which is everyone. What makes it different from the history documentaries we're perhaps used to seeing?

[Jeremiah Regan]

It's a lot of fun. That's not meaning to cast aspersions on other documentaries, but we've taken great pains to make it feel like a story. Our professors do an excellent job telling the story. It's Hillsdale so you know, it's factually correct, it's well researched. The politics and the history are done properly. But we've arranged this so that it it feels like you're sitting around, you know, a campfire hearing the story of the founding of our nation. And so it's a lot of fun on top of being correct.

[Scott Bertram]

The film is narrated by Tom Selleck, a name you likely know. We'll talk more about that in a moment. This is something new and different. And as we've mentioned, we've talked often with you and other professors who have been teaching our online courses for a while, but this is going to be in theaters for a limited run. Why was it important to bring this story to the big screen as opposed to having it online or having it streaming somewhere on the Hillsdale website?

[Jeremiah Regan]

We really wanted Dr. Arn's face to be 90ft tall. I joke. This is America's 250th anniversary. It's a momentous occasion. We are a great country. We have so much to be proud of. There's so much to learn about our heritage and then to apply in our lives today to, to help preserve our freedom. And we wanted to commemorate our founding, to do honor to our founders and, and those great men and women who helped create our nation and set us on the path of freedom. And we wanted to do something for our citizens today to give them something to go experience together as a family, to enjoy, to feel proud of their country. And, you know, frankly, sometimes it's dicey. Going to the movie theaters, that used to be a fun family activity. It's difficult to find things. There's a couple companies doing, doing good stuff today. We want to participate in that, too. There's a great tradition of families going to the cinema together. Go see Revolutionary America, enjoy it as a family, feel good about it, and know that everything will be virtuous and salutary and you won't have to worry about your children seeing anything you don't want them to see.

[Scott Bertram]

Hillsdale Edu film for details on Revolutionary America May 31, June 1 and June 2 in theaters. How is this made to feel more like a film event, a big screen event, than a traditional documentary?

[Jeremiah Regan]

Well, in our courses and our documentaries, we do take great pains to make them look nice, but we know that most of our viewers are watching on their phones or on their laptops, which is a great way to learn. Putting this story on the big screen meant we took extra pains to film it very beautifully, to do extensive tabletop shots. That's where we present documents and artifacts, make those look great when they're up on the big screen. And we also brought in some VFX artists to do accurate and dynamic maps. And people might think, well, maps, that's kind of boring. These maps are not boring. We, we know that maps can be boring, but we want to tell the story in a way that makes sense. We want the viewers to know exactly where this action is occurring and to understand things like what did the land look like? Where were the rivers? Where were the hills? These things affected the way Washington and other generals set their lines of battle or advanced or retreated. And so we, we created 3D maps that, that look really cool. They have some animation going on that will help you both understand what's happening. And also they're a lot of fun to look at. So putting that up on the big screen with 5.1 Dolby surround sound. We have a lot of sound design to immerse the viewers. And also look, our professors and our guests and Mr. Selleck all have great voices. So you'll get to hear it in a theatrical environment instead of using your iPhone, speakers or your headphones, you'll get to be totally immersed in the experience.

[Scott Bertram]

Who are some of the interviewees involved in revolutionary America in addition to Dr. Arne and his 40 foot head? Who else will others hear from in the course of the film?

[Jeremiah Regan]

You know, we are so blessed at Hillsdale to have professors who are well versed and well spoken, experts in their fields and also really good on camera. So it's Dr. Arne, as you mentioned, then professors John Grant, Kevin Slack, Paul Moreno, Bill McClay and Tom West. We also have a couple of friends of Hillsdale, intelligent, patriotic Americans, Michael Knowles, Eric Metaxas and John Lovell, who do a great job bringing some additional stories and characters to the film.

[Scott Bertram]

And what about the people behind the scenes who help make this film happen? What's the difference from a production standpoint between doing an online course maybe, and doing something like this, which is meant for the big screen? And then of course, how does Tom Selleck get involved?

[Jeremiah Regan]

That's right. Good questions. And if you've ever sat through the credit roll of a movie and seen all of those names and wondered, what do all these people do? That's a little bit of what we're experiencing. A feature film's different. There's way more names. But even on this documentary, dozens and dozens of people at Hillsdale, at our production partner, Distant Moon, have contributed to research, fact checking, filming, getting the audio right, doing the visual effects, maps, finding beautiful paintings and imagery to, to supplement what we're putting on screen. Dozens of people have contributed, and not least of which is Tom Selleck, who we got in touch with through a casting director named Deborah George. She did a great job explaining the project to Tom and he was very excited to be involved. He loves America. He's a patriot. Ian Reid, the director and I, who wrote the narrative, were very flattered that he liked our script. And then we get to sit in on the recording sessions, which we did virtually. He was in a professional studio much like this, but it was a lot of fun and man, he is really good. It was great to work with a professional like Tom Selleck.

[Scott Bertram]

I guess the question is, did you make him audition?

[Jeremiah Regan]

He has a very strong resume and a very strong voice, and his interest in the project was a sufficient Tryout

[Scott Bertram]

Revolutionary America, Hillsdale College's theatrical debut. You can find more at hillsdale. Edu Film. It's in theaters May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd. Hillsdale. Edu Film. We'll talk more in depth about perhaps what people will see as we get closer to those dates. But we know the film focuses on these the lived experiences of Americans during the Revolution. So what does that look like when you transfer that to the big screen?

[Jeremiah Regan]

Well, we're trying to fit a lot of history into a relatively short period. And as you said, we're looking at the experience of the individuals, the Americans who had to make the decision to stand up for their rights, to fight for their liberty, to establish a new nation, to create a government that would last, a government from which we still benefit today. So we start at the end of the French and Indian War. We when the tensions between the colonists and the British Empire really began to rise, there was a fracturing of the relationship between colonists who viewed themselves as English subjects, who wanted to be English subjects, loyal to the king, loyal to their homeland, but found increasingly that they were not treated as equals or as human beings with rights. And they had to go through a decade of thinking and petitioning the crown and trying to resolve their issues before they reached a point where they thought they had to fight. So we tell stories of many individuals, some of whom will be familiar to the audience. Of course, we've got to do the greatest hits. So we're talking about Paul Revere, we're talking about Washington, Franklin, and then others who I think the audience will be surprised to learn about. There's plenty of heroes in our history, and we give voice to some of them in this documentary. And we also bring up some facts that some in the audience may know about familiar events like Paul Revere's ride, but might be surprising to many, including the fact that Revere was captured on his ride and escaped in a providential event. So that's featured in the film along with other similar anecdotes.

[Scott Bertram]

Yeah. So a lot of people are going to think perhaps they already know this story and there's going to be other places trying to tell this story as we come up to America 250. So what are they going to learn here, hear from revolutionary America that might surprise them? And what is going to be unique about this offering?

[Jeremiah Regan]

Well, I'll start by saying a great story, well told, deserves to be experienced over and over again. And there's no better time than the 250th anniversary to experience the story again. But I think what we've been able to accomplish with the help of our scholars, and I do want to give special appreciation to Dr. Kevin Slack, who's one of our course advisors, is explain how this chain of events, which we are calling the revolution, the end of the French and Indian War through the ratification of the Constitution, these are often viewed as distinct events in history. And we put the connective tissue together to explain how colonists who had just won a war on behalf of the empire ended up creating a nation which endures to this day. And seeing how these things go together and form a continuity. The revolution was more than just the fighting of the war. It was all the thinking and the working and the diplomacy and frankly, the living and dying before the war started and then after making sure that the conditions for Americans were better after the revolution than they were before.

[Scott Bertram]

Appropriate for families, appropriate for kids. Will everyone get something out of revolutionary America?

[Jeremiah Regan]

Yes, they will. I think in terms of holding the audience interest, we're probably looking at middle school kids and older, but there's nothing that would be inappropriate for children who are younger to see. And this is this is a timeless story and it's our story. It's something we can be proud of as Americans. So it's perfect family viewing, and I would recommend that you bring your whole family.

[Scott Bertram]

This is just launching as this particular interview is being is being published Hillsdale Edu Film so people can find out more about where it is, how to get tickets, and quickly. If people go and try to find a nearby theater at Hillsdale Edu Film and find one, it's still possible for theaters to get on board with these showings on May 31, June 1 and June 2.

[Jeremiah Regan]

It is like the long American tradition of petitioning and raising grievances. If you go to your local theater and beg them to screen the movie, they want their movie theaters filled. And if you can convince them that you'll bring viewers into the seats, you might be able to convince them to

[Scott Bertram]

add a show, Revolutionary America, Hillsdale College's theatrical debut. It's in theaters May 31, June 1 and June 2. Second Narrated by Tom Selleck, a guy you might know, Hillsdale Edu Film is where to find more Hillsdale. Edu Film. Jeremiah Regan is executive director of online learning here at Hillsdale College. Jeremiah, thanks so much for joining us.

[Jeremiah Regan]

Thanks for having me, Scott.

[Scott Bertram]

Up next, Anna Giratelli from the Washington examiner tells us her true story in the new book Under Assault. I'm Scott Bertram. This is this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour. This show is a part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to your favorite. You'll get brand new episodes of all your favorite shows sent right to your device, and you'll help us know that you're out there listening. Never miss another episode by going to Podcast Hillsdale. Edu subscribe That's Podcast Hillsdale Edu subscribe or click the Follow or Subscribe button on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

[Jeremiah Regan]

Hello, this is Jeremiah Regan, executive director of Hillsdale College Online Learning, and I am the executive producer and one of the screenwriters of Revolutionary America, Hillsdale College's new documentary about the founding, showing in theaters only May 31 through June 2. To find a theater near you or to buy tickets in advance, go to Hillsdale. Edu Film. That's Hillsdale. Edu Film. Witness the founding of our nation, described in vivid detail and with sharp accuracy by Hillsdale professors and guests, including narrator Tom Selleck. Take your friends and your family. Go see Revolutionary America in theaters only May 31 through June 2. Buy tickets at Hillsdale. Edu Film.

[Scott Bertram]

We're back on the radio. Free Hillsdale Hour. I'm Scott Bertrand. Be sure to check out the show on X Hillsdale Radio. You can also find more Hillsdale audio at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu. With me now is Anna Giratelli. She is currently Homeland Security reporter for the Washington examiner and also has a brand new book out. It's called Under Assault A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice. Anna thanks so much for joining us.

[Anna Giratelli]

Scott thank you for having me.

[Scott Bertram]

Very early in this book, you talk about why you stayed quiet for years and you say women who name names face retaliation. Women who don't are ridiculed for being too scared or are accused of making up the story. Women who stay silent are mocked for not speaking up. Women cannot win. As we have our discussion today, it is just days after Eric Swalwell was driven from the California gubernatorial race due to allegations from women. Why is it so important that we have an environment that perhaps makes it easier for women to be honest and truthful about their experiences?

[Anna Giratelli]

Yeah, because without that, women feel they cannot come forward. In my case, I was assaulted at 17, never said anything about it because I figured who'd care? And even While in Washington, D.C. as I get at in the book, I was propositioned by a superior to have have sex as part of my job. And so I never came forward with either of those things. And it's because of those stereotypes and the pushback that you get. And for me, it was deciding that women needed to see an example of courage and hope to move forward from what they're going through rather than just staying quiet and knowing that I made it through and not. But yeah, I think there's a very conflicting message right now between believe women when they come forward and make allegations even years later, and fairness and justice. And as a society, I think we have to figure out how do we deal with that. But the first step is women coming forward and actually understanding how great of a scope is sexual assault and sexual misconduct in our American society.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna April 4, 2020 is the day of the assault in Washington, D.C. and of course is the cornerstone of the story in the book Under Assault. So tell our listeners what happened that day, that April 4th of 2020.

[Anna Giratelli]

I was living in Washington, D.C. just a few blocks from the U.S. capitol, and we were in the middle of COVID It was very early on in lockdowns, and I had gone out on a Saturday morning in a popular area to mail a package. And while I was walking to the post office, I was attacked randomly by a large man and fought for my life. I didn't know why I was being attacked. And during the assault, it also became a sexual assault. And I was fortunate to survive that day and I was fortunate to have other people in the surrounding area witness what was going on, hear the screaming and come over and save me. And that day was changed the course of my life. The police quickly said if he's prosecuted, if we find him, this is going to be a federal prosecution because we're in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. attorney's office handles those things.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna Giratelli is with us. Her book Under Assault A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice. We'll get to some of the arrest the prosecution in a bit, but the immediate aftermath is also covered in the book Under Assault. And something that you are very explicit about is that friends and family can't just ask if a victim is okay. They need you and they need help. As you point out, what did you need from those people closest to you?

[Anna Giratelli]

What I've learned after is that having people physically around you in the two weeks after a traumatic incident is the greatest indicator of how you are going to heal from that incident, overcome it mentally and emotionally. So we were in the lockdown. I lived alone. I needed people to be physically in my space and I had no one. I reached out to a church group and everybody sent their prayers and you know, some people called, but one person was willing to come out and see me in a couple weeks after because of COVID because of how seriously we took it in Washington D.C. people need to, they need to see your action. You know, so often we say to people, let me know what I can do for you, Let me know how I can help. But the real response that victims need, whether any type of crime or someone who's lost a loved one, is just do something, send a meal, it's okay if they don't like it. Go over their house, just check on them, call them up, send over a cleaning service or clean their house. Just those little things, just sit with them. You don't have to talk. Those are the things that I needed and didn't get. And it made my recovery that much longer and more difficult.

[Scott Bertram]

You explain in your recovery that there's this sense that you felt that you were cursed, that you were doomed. You referenced the two previous experiences you had which lead the book and then this attack in Washington D.C. you felt that bad things were bound to happen to you both now and in the future. How long did that last for you and how did that affect your day to day life?

[Anna Giratelli]

I was assaulted in D.C. april 4, 2020 and 13 years earlier that week, I was assaulted as a 17 year old. And so in my mind after the assault, you know, police have just taken my clothes. I'm sitting in my bedroom thinking what just happened. And it dawns on me that this is the anniversary, the week 13 years later. And to me, that said, you're doomed. There's bad things aren't gonna are coming for you. Nothing good is coming for you. This is something you can't overcome. Being as sexual assault victim and what it took, it took years, but it has taken constant reframing and, and my belief follower of Jesus Christ to say no, God does not have bad things. He has actually the opposite as a child of his. And it was a very long process of, of counseling and therapy and, and just being as a, as a believer of Jesus, following him and saying my thoughts and my, my being convinced of this don't line up with what I know to be true in my, in my beliefs as a Christian.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna Giratelli is with us. Her book Under Assault, A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing injustice that day, and at least in the immediate aftermath. Anna, how did the, how did the authorities, D.C. police, those investigating your case, what were your interactions like with them?

[Anna Giratelli]

You know, they brought in SVU immediately when they heard it was a sex crime. When the 911 calls came in, they said they would take it, you know, seriously. He got away that day. Police said, if we get DNA from your clothes and there's a match, he's already been arrested. You know, we'll be able to move forward if we can find him. And what I didn't know was that he had already also assaulted an off duty female police officer in the same area. And so he was already wanted for that. I don't know if he was let out or he got away again, but they said, we'll be in touch. And so several months later, they said there was a match in the system. He has a history. We're going to be looking for him. And on the street we believe he's homeless. He lives very close to your apartment on Capitol Hill. And they called me and said we arrested him. The U.S. attorney's office said they arrested him yesterday, but the judge released him today. And so he was held overnight. But because of overcrowding at the D.C. jail, he was released. And I was out of D.C. at that point, staying with my parents out of state. But what we went on to see is that he would be arrested five more times for additional offenses and released all five times the following day before we got to actual the case moving forward. And that was a brutal, brutal blow. Just living in disbelief that the system would do more to protect people in jail than people on the street or people like myself.

[Scott Bertram]

Now, in the midst of all this, and as you mentioned, you moved out of D.C. you were in North Carolina at your parents house, you're working on a crime story, a crime story about crime in D.C. and you begin looking through some of the cases, some of the reports. There's a map that has all the incidents that have taken place in D.C. and you notice something, which is that your assault that you experienced is not on that map. It's not listed as an attack by D.C. police. And then you figure out that there are a whole mass of cases that are not listed. What were D.C. police overlooking and sort of pushing to the side as they were reporting crime stats in that area?

[Anna Giratelli]

D.C. police continue to leave out countless numbers of felonies from the crime stats and purposely covering it up. I was doing a story, like you said, a crime reporter who became a crime victim, doing a story on if crime in D.C. had gone up during COVID As I looked at the stats, I thought, I'm going to look for my stat. It was a sex abuse charge in the third degree and at the time, in 2020, there were pins on the map for D.C. so you could see exactly the part of the block where a crime occurred, and I didn't see mine. And so I reached out to D.C. police, and two weeks later they wrote me back and said, your offense was not a first degree felony, so it is not in our crime stat. And I thought I was, I was shocked. I didn't understand why would some offenses not be? You know, if this was serious enough for the U.S. attorney's office to prosecute, why wasn't it serious enough to be on the crime app? And what I found when I reached out last year, as I began writing the book and moving forward with that process, was reached back out to D.C. police. And they said certain first degree and some second degree sex abuse crimes are now on the crime map. But. But still countless others are not. And they now, they don't even put pins on the map now. So you can see they, they color code parts of certain neighborhoods, so you can't even know just how many crimes occurred in a certain area if you're one of those crimes or if you're excluded. And I think, you know, we all know why they're. They're covering a crime in that way.

[Scott Bertram]

Edda Giratelli is with us. Under Assault is her book A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing Injustice. Anna, in the book, you discuss as you think back to the event and you think to advice that people had given you. Like, okay, if you take these precautions, if you follow these rules, if you don't go out late at night, if you don't do this, is it more likely you won't be a victim of crime? But you asked this question because things have changed, particularly in the COVID era in 2020. How do we live when there are no rules for crime? What answer did you come up with?

[Anna Giratelli]

Yeah, you know, the rules for crime are don't go out at night, late at night, don't go out by yourself, and certainly don't walk down certain streets. Don't walk down alleys. Who's walking down an alley? But you know, those sensible things. Don't take a bus to an area that's not safe. Carry, carry a weapon with you. In D.C. a lot of people say, why didn't you pull out a gun? Couldn't have a gun.

[Scott Bertram]

Right?

[Anna Giratelli]

But, yeah, the bigger story is the rules of crime. There was no way for me to protect myself. I did everything right. I was, you know, I didn't bother anybody. I was out during the day in a popular safe area. And yet this happened to me. And so the bigger issue is sometimes it's easier for people, even women, to say, well, she must have done something wrong, she must have been dressed inappropriately, she must have asked for it. And none of that is true. And women, I think it's easier sometimes to point at a victim and say something they did was wrong, then actually you can do everything right and still get attacked or still be a victim of some type of crime, still have something terrible happen to you and it's not your fault. And isn't that the scarier of the two? Knowing that you can do everything right and then there's no way to protect yourself.

[Scott Bertram]

And under result is a heavy book, rightfully so. But there's discussion about your panic attack, about which sort of led you to North Carolina, to your parents house. There's discussion about in the midst of the grand jury, we're in Texas, you had thoughts of giving up. You don't want to live anymore. You say in the book you were working with a therapist. How much of this were you willing or able to share with your loved ones, with family and friends around you as you were feeling these things?

[Anna Giratelli]

You know, in my head, it was all kind of a blur. It's weird trauma because it's, it's an incident in a day, right? In a matter of seconds, minutes. And yet it has especially the impact of how D.C. police and the system dealt with my case. It was like an ongoing trauma. It took years and years to, to come out of the just immense, immense anxiety, PTSD and panic attacks from this. You know, I don't know, it's hard to verbalize, especially with panic attack, unless someone understands what that really is. And so my family, I think having been been able to read the book now, they didn't understand fully what had happened to me. Some family members didn't know about what happened to me at 17 or while, you know, propositioned by a boss in D.C. or the extent of how this attack in D.C. really affected me. And so being able for them to read this, especially, you know, men in my family, it gives them a new perception. We all know that sexual assault is terrible. I would argue it's the worst crime out there because it is specifically targeting someone because of their gender does something to, you know, every victim. But, but as a woman, it's, it does, it does. It's a horrible thing to go through. And so I think it gave the men a better idea of just why that process was so long term. And what it looked like inside my head as I tried to overcome this.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna Giratelli is with us. Under assault is her book. Anna, if there's a turning point in the story, I don't think it's necessarily the arrest, the prosecution of your attacker. It seems that the change happens when you change geographic locations one more time from Texas to Georgia, and it seems there is happiness that reenters your life. What changes with that move back to the East Coast.

[Anna Giratelli]

In Georgia, he was sentenced in 2022, and he got about two and a half years for all seven arrests, which. Yeah. And so after that, it was really an opportunity to take a deep breath and say, it's behind me now. And it took about another year of settling into. I moved to Texas for three years and figuring out what, you know, I can't go back to D.C. what do I want the rest of, I don't know my life will look like, but, you know, the next year or so, what do I want that to look like? And I started to coming into a much healthier place, mentally, where I had dreams for myself, which I'd been in this survival mode for so many years after the attack. And I wanted to live somewhere, honestly, that felt like a Hallmark movie, that felt safe by the ocean, friendly place in the south, but not, you know, a little bit of seasons, all those things. And that was a really, really good sign that I was stepping outside my comfort zone, moving to a new place where I knew no one wasn't scary, because I had already put a lot of scary stuff behind me. So I was confident in my ability to face that. And when I moved to Georgia 2024, it really opened up. Yeah. I think going to a new place really helped with that, a new start. And it's been a wonderful, wonderful place to sort of be reborn, continue doing the job I was doing when I was attacked on the street in D.C. six years ago now. And it just looks very different. But there is a, I would argue, a happier life now than I was living in 2020 before the assault.

[Scott Bertram]

And another key character in this story happens to be the president of the United States, President Trump. You see him giving a press conference, talking about crime in D.C. talking about the victims of crime in D.C. and for lack of a better phrase, you're encouraged by this, perhaps emboldened by this, to be more forthright about what happened to you. How did the president change the course of your story?

[Anna Giratelli]

It did. It was. It was, I believe it was June, last June, when President Trump came out and wanted to address crime in D.C. and I watched his press conference and was moved to tears, fully crying and seeing someone upset about crime in D.C. and having known some of those stories, he didn't know my story, but hearing what he had from White House staff and such, I felt like I was finally being seen for the first time. Like everything I'd gone through, someone was saying, we don't need to live like this. This isn't acceptable, that people just get released on the streets, that people we know, our violent offenders keep getting released and living on the streets where we're walking, and that people with legitimate mental health disorders who need help are not getting that help. And I saw the president move and I felt it was the right time to share my always been a little, I wanted to share what I'd been through, but I worried there wasn't anyone who would care and that it wasn't relevant at this point, years later. But I was finally in a place where, where I wanted to share it and, and wanted to take a risk and see if it, if it was relevant. So I, I, I'll get to your next, I'm sure. I wrote an op ed for the Washington examiner and came out and said, you know, crime is bad. I know I'm a victim. It changed my life. And D.C. police covered up my crime. A man went to prison for what he did to me, and there's no proof of it in the stats. And so it got to the larger issue that President Trump was trying to, and still is trying to address.

[Scott Bertram]

The numbers are important, certainly the reporting is important in terms of what's happening in D.C. and other places all across the country. But reading under Assault, I wonder if the numbers really matter if we don't hear or see the personal side of these stories and see the face of the victim and hear how the attack, how that crime has affected them in their life.

[Anna Giratelli]

You're so right. You know, 17 million women have been victims of rape or attempted rape since 1998, according to federal statistics. The book is a different number, but I'm sharing the accurate number now. And so I'm one, I guess I'm two, technically. But, yeah, it changed the course of my life. And it's something so personal, it's not just a crime. It's such a. It changes you. It changes you. And frankly, it ruins your life if you let it. And to know that so many women in this country, where women and men are equal in the law, have gone through this. And I think it also speaks to how Many offenders are out there. How many people? How many men? Because most offenders are men have done this to women repeatedly. And I think during the MeToo era, women were outspoken and calling for men to step up and protect women and for men to stop doing this to women. And I would argue, I think we're in a different era now and it's time for women to do a lot better at protecting ourselves. Not with self defense, but with understanding. And that's really why I wanted to put my full story out there. Because if you don't know what you're going to face in the workplace, if you don't know what you're going to face as a naive 17 year old going to a party with adults, if you don't know what you're going to face being attacked on the street and as a plaintiff in a court case, you don't know how to take care of yourself. And what I've heard in the couple weeks the book has been out is women from D.C. from all across the country dming me and saying I was a victim in this way. I didn't know, you know, how to protect myself. I didn't know how to recover. I'm still, you know, years later trying to deal with it. And that's, I think, part of the huge, part of the reason I wanted to put this out there and say all of it, because how do we move forward? Why are we still accepting that sexual assault is just another crime? And it's terrible, but it's a crime, it happens.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna Giratelli the book Under Assault the most stark difference from the first three quarters to the very end of the book in my mind is how much uncertainty you have throughout those four years. Drive is lost. You don't have dreams. What can I hope for, I think is a question asked a time or two in the book. And then at the end there's a chapter where you are very certain about your dreams, your hopes, your goals, why you wrote this book, what you hope happens. Do you now find a newfound purpose in life that you are able to tell this story and hopefully have the impact you want?

[Anna Giratelli]

I really do. You know, after the assault, I didn't know what my life would look like. And I didn't know, you know, how do you just get back to normal? I just want to get back to normal. And it was really, really difficult, Scott, to believe or imagine that there could be a life worth living even five years down the road after this. Like, things would be different. And I had to fight for it. I mean, every single day, sometimes minute by minute, thought by thought, say, I don't know what's but I'm going to keep going. And things have really started to open up. And so it's been an incredibly long journey. But I'm so glad I was able to make it through and see to this point because, yeah, I do feel my bigger this is my best piece of work yet. Right. I never wanted to be an author of a sexual assault book, but if this spares one woman, if she knows how to avoid being groomed by a boss at work, I have said it's not about the book sales. It's about equipping women and having a conversation to deal with this for parents and their daughters, even parents and sons to say, listen, these are issues that we all need to talk about before you get out there and face them. So I think you're right. There was such a clear distinction. As I start to grow more confident and start speaking out, it's taking back what was lost. And it's really, it's going from victim, where someone's done something is done to you, to survivor, where I've chosen to survive and I'm empowered and I'm making the calls now.

[Scott Bertram]

Anna Giratelli, she writes for the Washington Examiner, Homeland Security reporter there. You can find her on X as well. And the new book is Under Assault, A Crime Reporter's True Story of Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Exposing. Anna, thanks so much for joining us here on the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour.

[Anna Giratelli]

Thank you so much, Scott.

[Scott Bertram]

Up next, we hear excerpts from a recent speech by Scott Jennings at a Hillsdale national leadership Seminar. I'm Scott Bertram. This is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour. On the new episode of the Larry

[Jeremiah Regan]

Arn Show, Hillsdale College President Larry Arns

[Scott Bertram]

sits down with senior journalism fellow at

Hillsdale College and editor in chief at

the Federalist, Molly Hemingway for a one on one conversation.

[Anna Giratelli]

I always try to be optimistic about the situation, but we really do have some serious problems going forward that need to be addressed. And we need more great men to help lead us, men like Justice Thomas and Justice Alito. These men are not made every day, but there are other men and women I would encourage to step up and help lead us from our current troubles.

[Scott Bertram]

Listen to this exclusive interview with Molly

Hemingway right now, only available on the Larry Arn Show.

[Jeremiah Regan]

Find it on the Hillsdale College Podcast Network at Podcast hillsdale.

[Scott Bertram]

Edu or wherever you get your audio

and subscribe to receive new episodes delivered right to your device.

That's Podcast Hillsdale Edu.

We're back on the radio. Free Hillsdale Operator. I'm Scott Bertram. Don't forget to subscribe via Apple Podcasts, YouTube or Spotify to catch every episode of this program. Plus, you can find other Hillsdale College audio there as well. Subscribe via Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Now we hear excerpts from a recent speech by CNN political contributor Scott Jennings. He was speaking at a Hillsdale national leadership seminar on working for cnn, but also discussed his recent book, A Revolution of Common Sense and the Conflict between Western Civilization and the Radical Left. Here's Scott Jennings.

I do want to speak to you all this evening about what I believe our mutual calling to be. It is my sincerest belief that everyone in this room is fighting for the future of Western civilization. I've been involved in politics now for a long time, 26 years, over half my life spent in service to the conservative cause. Candidates have come and gone. The issues of the day have evolved over the years. Goodness knows our opponents have changed. We now face the most radical anti American political opposition that any of us could imagine. It's scary, really, how much the liberal movement has been hijacked by the enemies of the west, by those who believe the American founding to be rotten at its core and that it should be ripped out root and branch. And because of that, our politics, now more than ever, is a fight for the future of the West. And there's one thing that I know in this fight, we concede no ground. Not in politics, not in business, not in education, not in culture, and certainly not in my arena, which is the media. We are all on the front lines of a fight that will determine whether our children and grandchildren grow up in a world where the values of the west persevere or whether they will grow up in a world shrouded in darkness under ideologies and belief systems that are the very enemies of human liberty.

More here from Scott Jennings, speaking earlier this year at a Hillsdale event.

To defend the west as we all do, is to defend the right to speak freely, to worship freely, to raise our families in peace, and to live by moral conviction rather than mob coercion. Our movement, our voices, all of you in this room, we make up a community, one of the last remaining in America, that is still unapologetically dedicated to preserving and passing down the moral and spiritual inheritance of the West. It is my view that we are simply no longer just arguing about the politics of the day, the politics as usual. We're not just disagreeing about tax rates and health care plans anymore. We are doing nothing less than fighting for the soul of this nation, the survival of this nation and of the civilization that produced it. This is what keeps me up at night, that we are watching the basics of our society come under constant attack. The radical left, the enemies of the west, are going after anyone who builds anything, who believes anything, or who stands for anything.

The title of the speech was Working for cnn, and CNN political contributor Scott Jennings did address that as well.

I also get asked from time to time whether or not I get along with my co workers at cnn. I'll tell you the truth. The answer is a few of us, yes, we do get along. For a few of us. We open our hearts and our ears to each other before we open our mouths, which is a good rule for punditry, but it's also a good rule for life, I think. I tend to gravitate to the people who argue in good faith and with good humor. They do exist. But increasingly I am encountering people who are extremely angry, rageful. They use the language of hate. You heard it. They call you racists, fascists, Nazis. You hear this on a daily basis. As we build the coalition of common sense, I sometimes think about what is happening to the other side. Why are they so angry? Why are they headed in the exact opposite direction? Why, if we are building the coalition of common sense, have they decided to embrace becoming the party of uncommon nonsense? So I'll just say out loud what I think most everyone in this room knows to be true. These people have completely lost their minds. And I will sum it up for you. They care more about pronouns than paychecks. They still are trying to put boys in girls locker rooms. They are working harder for criminals than they have ever worked for victims. Their number one constituency today illegal aliens and not American citizens. And they are hostile to those of us who believe in the Judeo Christian underpinnings that anchor our laws, our culture. They have become the party of weirdos and scolds, of people who think your 5 year old needs to know more about gender fluidity than phonics. They want to control everything. They want government making decisions that you should be making for yourself.

We're listening to excerpts from A speech from CNN's Scott Jennings at a recent Hillsdale national Leadership seminar. More hear from Jennings.

The left wants you to believe that your rights are whatever they decide to give you. That's so they can take them away so easily. If government gives you the right to do something, well, government can change its mind next week. But if your rights come from God, that is something different altogether. No politician can vote them away. No judge can rule them out of order, and no angry mobile can shout them down. We answer to a higher power when it comes to our rights as human beings, as God's children. This is why the left is so hostile to faith. It's not really about church service or prayer in school. It is about power. They need you to believe that they are the highest authority in your life. But people of faith know better. We know there is something above the state, something more important than politics, something that judges the judges. When you understand that your rights are God given, you cannot be intimidated. When you know that you'll answer to a higher authority than some government bureaucrat, you cannot be bullied into silence. When you realize that truth isn't determined by polling or politics, but rather by something eternal, you can stand firm even when it seems like the rest of the world is going insane or that everyone else in the TV studio has lost their mind. This is the foundation of American freedom. That's what makes our nation different, and that is what they are trying to destroy.

CNN's Scott Jennings a Hillsdale event concludes this.

But I think Americans are hungry for the truth. And I think when you give them a choice between being victims or being victors, they will choose victory. When you give them a choice between dependence and dignity, they will choose dignity. And when you give them a choice between loving America or hating it, they will choose love. Because we are a nation, patriots. And all we need are people like you, the people in this room, strong enough, committed enough to reclaim and proclaim the freedom on which this country was founded. So, as I close this evening, I'd like us all to remember that defending Western civilization is not an act of nostalgia. It is an act of stewardship. We are heirs to a legacy purchased by the courage of those who came before us. Men and women who believed that truth was worth dying for and that freedom was worth defending. To paraphrase the lion of the West, Winston Churchill, the flame of Christian civilization cannot be extinguished. It may flicker, but it will never go out. Our mission, your mission, is to spread light and truth in a confused world that desperately needs clarity, into a divided culture that needs your courage, and into a dark age that very much longs for the light. I firmly believe that if we remain faithful to God and to the truths that built this great civilization, then our best days and the world's are still ahead. Ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to defending the west, failure is not an option. Thank you. God bless Hillsdale God bless the United States of America. Thank you all.

That's CNN political analyst Scott Jennings speaking recently at a Hillsdale national leadership seminar. You can find that full speech at Hillsdale's Freedom Library at freedomlibrary hillsdale.edu. that's freedomlibrary hillsdale.edu. that will wrap up this edition of the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour. Our thanks to Jeremiah Regan, the new film revolutionary America, coming May 31, June 1 and June 2. Also, Anna Giratelli, her book under Assault. And we heard excerpts from Scott Jennings. Remember, you can hear new episodes every week on the station. You also can find extended versions of some of our interviews or listen anytime to the podcast. Find it at Podcast hillsdale. Edu or wherever you get your audio. Until next week, I'm Scott Bertrand, and this has been the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour.