A recent internal survey conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has revealed that nearly one-third of its employees have experienced inappropriate sexual conduct in the workplace at least once during their careers. This finding, shared exclusively with CNN, highlights ongoing concerns about workplace culture within the agency and has been described as a “#MeToo moment” for the CIA, mirroring the wider movement against sexual harassment that gained momentum in 2017.
The voluntary survey, which saw participation from only a quarter of the agency’s workforce, indicated that 28% of respondents reported experiencing “at least one instance of a sexually hostile work environment.” Alarmingly, 9% of participants encountered such behavior within the past year alone. These figures are noted to be “just slightly higher than the national average” and lower than similar statistics reported within the U.S. military.
CIA Chief Operating Officer Maura Burns, who is not related to CIA Director William Burns, acknowledged the agency’s shortcomings, stating, “We are not where we need to be, and I don’t need a survey to tell me that.”
The survey results have drawn attention to two disturbing incidents that suggest a deeper cultural issue within the CIA. In one case, a CIA officer who was stationed in Europe allegedly knowingly infected at least five women with a sexually transmitted disease. Despite the serious allegations, he remains employed at the agency and is currently stationed at headquarters while an internal investigation is ongoing.
In another troubling incident, a female contractor accused a senior CIA officer of coercing her into a sexual relationship. According to a federal lawsuit, the officer reportedly threatened her by visiting her home with a firearm and presenting her with a knife while on CIA premises. Sources have indicated that the accused officer has since been fired.
These revelations come on the heels of a significant conviction related to sexual misconduct within the agency. Last month, a federal court in Virginia sentenced former CIA officer Brian Jeffrey Raymond to 30 years in prison for multiple counts of sexual abuse, coercion, and the transportation of obscene material. Raymond pleaded guilty to raping four women, sexually abusing six, and taking illicit photographs of 28 female victims during his over ten-year tenure in various Latin American countries.
In response to these alarming issues, Maura Burns has established a Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Office (SHARP) to address the agency’s cultural problems. During a town hall meeting on September 25, Burns and SHARP head Dr. Taleta Jackson provided guidance to employees on how to report sexual harassment while maintaining their cover and safeguarding classified information. “Go call the police. The cover issue, we will fix, don’t worry about that,” Burns reassured attendees.
However, a complaint filed by one alleged victim in June raised further concerns about the agency’s handling of sexual misconduct cases. The complainant, identified as ‘Danielle Sparks,’ claimed that management advised her to lie to police regarding the affiliation of both herself and her attacker with the agency, as well as the circumstances of her alleged assault on CIA premises. If she complied, she was warned that she would be guilty of mishandling classified information.
