Brett Jones, a former Navy SEAL, will join Chris Hayes tonight to talk about the complaint he filed alleging he was the victim of homophobic bullying while working as a CIA contractor in Afghanistan. All In reached out to the CIA for comment about Jones' allegations and received the following statement.
ON THE RECORD STATEMENT FROM CIA SPOKESMAN DEAN BOYD:
- CIA has no comment on the specific allegations raised.
- We take very seriously any allegation of sexual, racial or any other form of harassment and/or discrimination at CIA. We have a Zero Tolerance Policy against such behavior and CIA leadership is committed to holding all employees accountable for living and promoting this policy.
- CIA’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO) oversees all complaints of discrimination and harassment for the Agency and advises employees, supervisors and managers on how to prevent discrimination and/or harassment in the workplace. Pursuant to Agency Regulation, every CIA employee is advised that if he/she is the target of discrimination or harassment, they may initiate an allegation at any time by reporting the behavior to the appropriate supervisor, manager, or OEEO Counselor.
- For officers serving overseas, OEEO has established a 24-hour confidential “hot line” and a privacy email channel, both of which go directly to OEEO for appropriate action. OEEO also has instituted a robust harassment awareness and prevention training program and a web-based online training that employees are required to complete prior to deploying overseas.
- As we go about our vital work at CIA, we have a duty to treat one another respectfully and professionally, and to foster a culture of tolerance and inclusion. That is what our Nation expects and what all our employees deserve.