CIA suspends whistleblower who sparked flood of sex abuse claims – Winnipeg Free Press

This week, the CIA suspended a woman who reported being assaulted in a stairwell at the intelligence agency's headquarters. The woman's lawyer called this act a gross revenge.

While the CIA said the allegation was “factually incorrect,” it would not comment further on the case and declined to explain why the 36-year-old was not enrolled in the agency's undercover officer training program, known as The Farm. , like many of his classmates, was rejected for another job.

“To be clear, the CIA does not tolerate sexual harassment, sexual harassment, or whistleblower retaliation,” CIA spokeswoman Tammy Thorpe told The Associated Press, adding that the agency “uses consistent processes to ensure fair and equal treatment of every trained officer.” added. »

The woman's resignation comes less than six months after she filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging the CIA retaliated against her for reporting the 2022 Langley, Virginia stairwell attack to law enforcement and for testifying about it at a closed congressional hearing.

In the lawsuit, the agency accused then-CIA intern Ashkan Bayatpour, who was convicted of assaulting her with a scarf, by misrepresenting her personal information during public indictments last year, criticizing her work and “shaming her.”

The woman's attorney, Kevin Carroll, told the AP that the CIA “wrongfully ended the career of a young woman because she lacked the moral courage, the managers, to testify about her sexual abuse.”

“The agency's problem of sexual harassment in the workplace is hurting young women who will no longer tolerate it,” Carroll said.

Because the AP doesn't typically identify victims of sexual assault, the woman, who has not been identified, launched a settlement with the CIA because of a rare allegation of sexual misconduct at its top-secret intelligence agency. turning it into an open courtroom.

The AP investigation helped bring the case to the attention of authorities and Congress over the past two years, with their own accounts of sexual abuse, unwanted touching and what they say was a cover-up campaign at the CIA. to speak out.

Their allegations ranged from lewd remarks about sexual fantasies during after-work happy hours to an incident where a senior manager came to a subordinate's house at night with a gun demanding sex. Some of the alleged incidents spanned years and occurred while officers were on dangerous covert missions overseas, while others took place at CIA headquarters.

The congressional inquiry and calls for a bipartisan watchdog investigation prompted CIA Director William Burns last year to launch a series of reforms to streamline complaints, support victims and bring those behind wrongdoing to justice more quickly.

It is unclear whether the woman's shooting will prompt further action. The offices of the U.S. senators leading the investigation, Virginia Democrat Mark Warner and Florida Republican Marco Rubio, did not respond to requests for comment.

The woman's attorney said Carroll was granted protected whistleblower status before speaking to Congress. But people familiar with the whistleblower protection law warned that such protections could be limited, particularly at the CIA.

Tom Devine, legal director of the Project on Government Accountability, a longtime whistleblower rights advocate, said CIA employees do not have the same rights as other federal employees because of national security concerns.

“You can blow the whistle, but only within the intellectual community,” Devine said. “So when he went to the police, he was very lonely. It's a nasty hole.”

In testimony to a Virginia grand jury last summer, the woman recounted the moment Bayatpour tightened a scarf around her neck and tried to kiss her against her will.

“He turned around like he was really going to hurt me,” she said. “That face remains with me to this day. That's the hardest part.”

Bayatpour admitted to wrapping a towel around the woman on the landing, but said the act was meant to be a joke during a 40-minute walk together. His lawyer said the incident was a “joke that was not intended to land”.

Bayatpour, a 39-year-old Alabama native and former Navy intelligence officer, worked for the CIA for several months after being convicted in August of misdemeanor charges, sentenced to six months' probation and ordered to surrender any firearms.

As of last month, he no longer works for the CIA, according to 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, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Mustian reported from New York and Goodman from Miami.

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Contact the AP Global Investigative Team at [email protected] or https://www.ap.org/tips/