The Department of Justice has a “systemic” problem in how it handles sex harassment complaints, according to a report by its inspector general that recommended “strong action” to preserve the law enforcement agency’s reputation.
DOJ supervisors mishandled complaints and some perpetrators received little discipline and even got bonuses and performance awards as sexual harassment complaints increased, according to the Washington Post.
The IG’s report said the misconduct included a US attorney who engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate, a Civil Division lawyer who groped two female trial attorneys and a chief deputy US marshal who had sex with “approximately” nine women in his Boston office.
” We’re talking about presidential appointees, political appointees, FBI special agents in charge, U.S. attorneys, wardens, a chief deputy U.S. marshal, a U.S. marshal assistant director, a deputy assistant attorney general,” Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz told the Washington Post.
In a memo to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May, Horowitz warned DOJ officials to take “strong action” to stop the sexual impropriety and ensure the “highest standards of conduct and accountability.”
“When employees engage in such misconduct, it profoundly affects the victim and affects the agency’s reputation, undermines the agency’s credibility, and lowers employee productivity and morale,” he added.
Ian Prior, a DOJ spokesman, told NBC News that Rosenstein has put together a working group to address problems raised in the report and would soon issue “recommendations for action.”
Prior also emphasized that the examples of misconduct highlighted in the IG report happened under the Obama administration and not during the time Attorney General Jeff Session helmed the agency.
“The d epa rtment was very disappointed with the issues that occurred in the Obama administration and strives for a workplace free of harassment and other misconduct for all of its 115,000 employees,” Prior said .
The IG’s report, issued in May, covered the fiscal years 2012 through 2016.
