Victim who claims she was sexually assaulted at CIA headquarters sues spy agency accusing it of intimidation

An unnamed female CIA trainee who claims she was sexually assaulted in a stairwell at CIA headquarters in 2022 is suing the agency, claiming that the CIA "repeatedly and improperly" discouraged her from lodging a criminal complaint against her assailant and attempted to intimidate her from testifying at his trial. 

The suit specifically claims that the agency improperly shared the victim's internal workplace instant messages with her assailant's criminal defense team, which the victim claims were intended to falsely portray her as having an extramarital affair. 

The IMs were not provided to the court as a result of a court-ordered subpoena or a request from law enforcement, according to the suit, and the victim now argues that their provision was in violation of her Privacy Act rights and represent an attempt by the CIA to prevent the conviction of her assailant by intimidating her from testifying. 

Her assailant was convicted of assault and battery by the Fairfax County General District Court in August in a groundbreaking decision that pried open the tightly closed doors of the nation's largest spy agency. 

The suit comes as the CIA continues to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill over its handling of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. The CIA inspector general in May initiated a "special review" after a number of women told congressional intelligence committees that their allegations of sexual misconduct were "grossly mishandled."

The lawsuit provides some of the first publicly-available details about the allegations that victims have made on Capitol Hill and within the CIA about how the agency has addressed reports of sexual assault. 

The suit names Director Bill Burns, whom the suit claims was briefed on the assault in the stairwell weeks after it occurred.