House Probing CIA Over Sexual Assault Cases

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has launched an investigation into the CIA’s handling of sexual assault and harassment cases over the past decade, Politico reports.

Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, and ranking member Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., wrote a letter after hearing these allegations to CIA Director Bill Burns asking for the agency’s cooperation in looking into these issues. Burns reportedly agreed to cooperate completely, according to a senior CIA official who spoke to Politico under the condition of anonymity.

“Sexual assault is a heinous crime. Our committee is committed to addressing this matter and protecting those who are serving their country. We have been in contact with Director Burns, and he is fully committed to working with us on this issue,” Turner and Himes said in a joint statement to Politico.

Multiple female employees of the agency have told the committee this year that the CIA has discouraged women from filing complaints involving allegations of sexual misconduct. An attorney representing one of these women, Kevin Carroll, also said that the agency is hampering the ability of alleged victims to approach law enforcement.

“This is the CIA’s MeToo moment,” Carroll said. Politico reported that Carroll, a partner at the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, is representing the unnamed victim pro bono.

Carroll said that his client claims dozens of women employed at the CIA over the past decade have said they were sexually assaulted or harassed by their colleagues, and he said that their cases were improperly dealt with by the agency.

He said one female employee alleges she was assaulted physically by a male employee, an incident that included multiple attempts to forcibly kiss her, which she reported to multiple CIA offices and local law enforcement. She claims agency officials told her that if she complained to law enforcement, they could no longer protect her from the alleged assailant and that if she continued to pursue the complaint within the agency, it could end her career.

Carroll also said the women were told they would face unspecified negative consequences if they approached Congress.

A CIA spokesperson told Politico there “can be no tolerance for sexual assault or harassment at CIA.”

The spokesperson added, “The director and senior CIA leaders have personally met with officers to understand their concerns and to take swift action. We have established an office to work closely with survivors of sexual assault, and we are committed to treating every concern raised by members of the workforce with the utmost seriousness.

“We are committed to supporting the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation and are keeping the committee updated on our progress.”