The jury selection process begins on Monday for a case involving a CIA former officer who claimed she was sexually abused by a co-worker in July 2022, at the agency’s HQ.

Rachel Cuda revealed for the first, her identity at the beginning of the trial. She claimed that working for the CIA had been a dream job until the summer of 2022 when she was attacked in a stairwell by a colleague.

I felt the scarf cover my head. Cuda stated that when she turned around, her attacker had said “This is what I’m going to do to you”, tightened the scarf, and tried to kiss her.

She claimed that she had pushed off her attacker and told him to stop.

Cuda stated, “I did not know what just happened.” “Nobody had touched me at work.”

Cuda says she reported the incident to her supervisor and to multiple other CIA offices. However, she found that there was no formal procedure in place for handling claims of sexual harassment.

She said, “I didn’t know how my case was handled.” She said, “I wasn’t given the right updates about what was being done to protect me.”

Cuda claimed that CIA officials warned her not to go to the police as it would be a violation of the confidentiality agreements made by the agency.

“I was very insistent. I want to go into law enforcement but I still want to keep my career. “There was no way to get there,” she said.

After a series of internal investigations cleared the alleged assailant of any wrongdoings, she sought protection outside of the CIA by filing a police complaint and requesting a protective order. She shared her story behind closed doors with the House Intelligence Committee.

As part of a comprehensive investigation into the CIA, 26 whistleblowers including Cuda spoke to the Committee. The agency was found to have “failed” in its handling of allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

In December of last year, Congress passed a law requiring that the agency create new policies, training, and procedures for hearing sexual assault and harassment cases, assign a victim investigator to every case, and allow victims to make confidential reports.

Tammy Thorp, CIA spokesperson, said: “We’re seeing more people come forth and we encourage people to come forward.”

Thorp admits that the reporting process before the changes was confusing.

The nature of our job requires that many officers be undercover. Thorp stated, “One of the biggest steps we have taken is to let people know they can contact law enforcement.”

Cuda believes that reporting her allegations to the CIA outside of its walls led to her dismissal last year. The agency has denied that it took retaliatory action against Cuda. She says she still hears from victims saying they do not feel comfortable reporting their cases to CIA officials.

Thorp wants employees to share their concerns.

She said, “We know that there is more work to be done.”

Virginia county prosecutors charged Cuda’s alleged attacker, who was not sexually assaulted, with misdemeanor Battery. His attorney claimed in a recent court filing that he was falsely accused and that he draped a scarf gently over Cuda to make a joke, but had no intention of harming her.

The alleged attacker told the Washington Post that he did not commit the crimes for which he was accused. “I am very clear that I didn’t put this person at risk, hurt them, or even try to kiss them. I look forward to showing that in court.”

Cuda intends to testify in the trial.