The CIA fired a woman this week after a whistleblower alleged that she was assaulted on the steps of the spy agency’s headquarters, and a number of colleagues came forward with sexual misconduct claims. The woman’s lawyer called the action brazen retaliation.
The CIA said the accusations were “factually incorrect” but did not comment further on the case and said the 36-year-old did not complete the agency’s covert officer training program, known as “The Firm.” He also refused to explain the reason. Unlike many of her classmates, she was not hired for another job.
“To be clear, the CIA does not tolerate sexual assault, sexual harassment, or whistleblower retaliation,” CIA spokeswoman Tammy Thorpe told The Associated Press, adding that the agency “does not tolerate sexual assault, sexual harassment, or whistleblower retaliation.” “We have consistent processes in place to ensure fair and equal treatment of all employees.” ”
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The woman’s firing stems from a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging the CIA retaliated against her for reporting a 2022 stairwell assault in Langley, Virginia, to law enforcement and testifying in a closed-door congressional hearing. The decision came less than six months after the incident.
The lawsuit alleges that during the state prosecution of Ashkan Bayatpour, a fellow CIA trainee at the time who was convicted of assaulting her with a headscarf, the agency gave her a harsher performance review and improperly disclosed personal information. He accused her of causing “slutty humiliation” by disclosing it to the public.
Kevin Carroll, the woman’s lawyer, told The Associated Press that the CIA “wrongfully ended a young woman’s career because her superiors lacked the moral courage to stand up and testify about her sexual assault.” It’s just because I was there,” he said.
In February 2024, the CIA fired a woman. A whistleblower complaint that she was assaulted on the steps of the spy agency’s headquarters sparked a flurry of accusations of sexual misconduct by her colleagues. The woman’s lawyer called the action brazen retaliation. (AP Photo/Carolyn Custer, File)
“The growing problem of sexual violence in the workplace that authorities say is now having a negative impact on the retention of young women who will no longer put up with it,” Carroll said.
The woman was not identified because the Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual abuse allegations, but because her accusation was a rare allegation of sexual misconduct in a super-secret intelligence agency. It is believed that some sort of investigation into the CIA has been launched. to bring it to open court.
According to an Associated Press investigation, at least 20 women have testified to the agency and Congress over the past two years about sexual assault, inappropriate touching and a campaign to alienate women at the CIA. It turns out that this gave him the courage to come forward. to speak out.
Their accusations range from lewd comments about sexual fantasies during after-work happy hours to incidents in which senior executives allegedly showed up at subordinates’ homes at night with firearms and demanded sex. Some of the alleged incidents date back several years and occurred while police officers were on dangerous covert missions overseas, while others occurred at CIA headquarters.
Following a Congressional investigation and bipartisan demands for an investigation into the watchdog agency, CIA Director William Burns last year announced a plan to streamline claims, assist victims, and more quickly discipline those behind wrongdoing. We have launched a series of reforms to achieve this goal.
It remains unclear whether the woman’s firing will prompt further action. The offices of U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who are leading the investigation, did not respond to requests for comment.
Carroll, the woman’s lawyer, said she was given whistleblower protection before speaking to Congress. But officials familiar with whistleblower protection laws warned that such protections could be limited, especially at the CIA.
Tom Devine, a longtime whistleblower rights advocate and legal director of the Government Accountability Project, said CIA employees don’t have the same rights as other federal employees because of national security concerns.
“You can blow the whistle, but only within the intelligence community,” Devine said. “So when she went to the police, she was completely alone. This is an uncomfortable loophole.”
In testimony to a Virginia judge last summer, the woman described the moment Bayatpour allegedly tightened the scarf around her neck and tried to kiss her against her will.
“He looked like he was really trying to hurt me,” she testified. “That face, that’s what still sticks in my mind. That’s the hardest thing.”
Mr Bayatpour admitted to putting the scarf on the woman in the stairwell, but claimed his actions were a joke during the 40-minute walk together. According to his lawyer, the incident was “a joke that didn’t land the way it was intended.”
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Bayatpour, 39, a former naval intelligence officer from Alabama, was convicted in August of misdemeanor assault and battery, sentenced to six months’ probation and ordered to surrender his firearms. He continued to work for the CIA for several months.
But as of last month, he no longer worked for the CIA, said a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Bayatpour deferred questions to his attorney, Jennifer Steve, who said her client maintains his innocence and is appealing the conviction, which would allow a jury trial.
