Before he retired quietly last year, a former FBI boss was considered a “skilled predator” who sexually harassed eight of his employees, according to a federal report obtained by the Associated Press.
The report goes into detail on the Office of Inspector General’s conclusion that James Hendricks harassed the women, one of whom said she’d have to carry a ruler around the FBI headquarters to smack Hendricks’ hands when he tried to reach for her legs or breasts.
Hendricks, who went on to lead the FBI’s field office in Albany, New York in 2018 before soon retiring, reportedly asked one woman to have sex with him in a conference room, leered at women in the workplace, and touched them inappropriately. The former FBI boss reportedly retired with full benefits after such claims, similar to other senior FBI officials that the AP reported on last year.
The FBI told the AP that it “maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and is committed to fostering a safe work environment where all of our employees are valued, protected and respected.”
The 52-page report was put together after interviews with more than a dozen FBI officials, with some saying he was “super giddy” around women and was “incapable of stopping himself.” One woman added that he pressured her into having a sexual relationship, as he was known to “push out” those who crossed him.
“He was in a powerful position,” the report says, “and she worried about what he would do if she did not respond to his advances.”
Hendricks previously told investigators that those who accused him either misinterpreted or exaggerated his actions.
