A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday requested a Department of Justice watchdog probe allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the FBI training facility.
Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, ranking member Rep. Doug Collins, Republican Georgia, and Reps. Karen Bass, California Democrat, and John Ratcliffe, Texas Republican, wrote a letter asking Justice Department Inspector General to investigate the FBI’s training and selection practices for new agents.
The letter comes after 16 current and former female FBI recruits filed a lawsuit last month, alleging sexual harassment and hostile a hostile work environment at the bureau’s training facility in Quantico, Virginia.
The lawmakers specifically cited the lawsuit in their letter.
“If true, such conduct cannot be tolerated,” the committee members wrote. “The selection process employed by the FBI must be free from discrimination on the basis of factors such as gender and race, and individuals hired to these important positions should reflect the diversity of our country.”
The lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C, alleges women of color and disabled women are “executively singled out for adverse treatment.”
Complaints ranged from one recruit saying she was sexually harassed and mocked for her disability, while others say they were constantly badgered for sex by the male recruits.
More than 100 women may have been subject to the harassment, according to the lawsuit.
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the litigation, but said the “FBI is committed to fostering a work environment where all of our employees are valued and respected.”
“Diversity is one of our core values and to effectively accomplish our mission of protecting the American people we need people of different genders, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” the spokeswoman said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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