CIA mishandled sexual assault allegations, internal review finds

An internal investigation into the CIA revealed that the agency failed to handle allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault within its ranks properly.

CIA Inspector General Robin Ashton said in a statement describing the results of the review that leadership had “not been wholly successful in preventing, or efficiently and effectively responding to, workplace harassment and sexual assault incidents.”

In the 648-page classified report, prompted by the Senate, Ashton made 22 recommendations to CIA Director William Burns and other agency leaders on improving how the agency handles claims of sexual assault and harassment.

Burns said in a statement that the CIA has already taken steps to make it easier for employees to report abuse and expand the agency’s capacity to investigate allegations.

“I take the issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault extremely seriously,” he said.

However, Ashton said it's too early to determine if the CIA changes will be successful. “Only time will tell if the significant changes that are in the process of being implemented will have the desired and sustained effect,” she said.

The CIA was notified last week that the inspector general completed her report. In May, the review was delivered to the Senate and House Intelligence committees, and they were briefed last month.

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After interviewing more than 20 CIA whistleblowers, the House Intelligence Committee found “little to no accountability or punishment for confirmed perpetrators.”

Congress later addressed this in the Intelligence Authorization Act by including language on how victims report assaults, giving more options for them to report attacks confidentially.