The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has reportedly mishandled sexual assault cases involving officials in its ranks. A House Intelligence Committee investigation found that the agency did not adequately address reports of sexual assault and harassment.

The lawmakers’ report indicates that those who reported sexual abuse saw “little to no accountability or punishment for the perpetrators.” In at least one case, a female employee who reported abuse was terminated. Since the investigation, the CIA claims it has enacted reforms to revamp the process for reporting sexual assault and harassment.

Republicans and Democrats on the House of Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence have been investigating the CIA’s handling of such cases after a whistleblower came forward in January 2023 to say they had been “physically attacked and sexually assaulted at CIA headquarters” by a fellow officer, according to the report.

“Over the course of the investigation, the Committee discovered that CIA failed to handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment within its workforce in the professional and uniform manner that such sensitive allegations warrant,” the report said.

The committee spoke with more than two dozen whistleblowers and reviewed over 4,000 pages handed over by the CIA, among other materials, over the course of its probe.

Lawmakers found “confusion and disorder in the process for reporting sexual assault and harassment” within the CIA’s ranks and that victims “were aware of little to no accountability or punishment for the perpetrators of the assaults or harassment often because of an inadequate investigatory process,” the report said.

They also found that insufficient anonymity shields discouraged victims from coming forward and that coordination with law enforcement on sexual assault and harassment claims was inadequate.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) told Fox News Digital that Congress put significant reforms in place.

“For more than a year, the House Intelligence Committee has investigated the responsiveness of the Central Intelligence Agency to personnel who have survived sexual assault and sexual harassment. We heard directly from whistleblowers who courageously shared their stories in order to push for change and accountability,” the joint statement said. “Our Committee has put in place significant legislative reforms to address failures, and we will continue to monitor progress to ensure there is no slippage in the Agency’s commitment to addressing sexual assault and harassment.”

The investigation into the matter kicked off after a female whistleblower approached members of Congress last year.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence launched an investigation into the CIA’s response to sex-related offenses after a female employee approached lawmakers in January 2023 alleging she had been sexually assaulted and harassed. After she came forward, more than 20 other employees followed, saying they had suffered sexual assaults and harassment.

The unnamed employee’s case led to her CIA colleague’s conviction in state court for misdemeanor assault and battery.

The CIA later terminated the female employee, who had reported being sexually assaulted in a stairwell at the agency and who accused the CIA of trying to discourage her from filing a criminal complaint. Her lawyer claimed it amounted to unlawful retaliation, but the CIA strongly rejected the allegation.

In response to the investigation, Congress passed legislation to revamp how the CIA handles these cases. The CIA is required to develop a standard procedure for investigating allegations of sexual assault and harassment. It will also be required to submit annual reports on its progress to Congress.

Kevin Carroll, an attorney representing the female employee, lauded the report, noting that “the legislation it spurred have their origin in the bravery of a young female trainee with the integrity to speak truth to power at the cost of her own CIA career to try and prevent other agency women from suffering as she did.”