Janine Brookner

Janine Marilyn Brookner ( Okun; December 26, 1940 – May 11, 2021) was an American lawyer and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. She became the first female CIA station chief in Latin America when she took over the Jamaica station in 1989. She was falsely accused of professional misconduct in 1992 by her superiors at the CIA and after being threatened with a demotion and criminal sanctions, she sued the agency. In 1994, she became the first person to successfully sue the agency for sexual discrimination. She became a lawyer in 1998, specializing in sex discrimination cases against the federal government.

Early life Janine Okun was born on December 26, 1940, in Syracuse, New York. Her mother, Lillian Okun (née Mogilesky), was a real estate agent and her father, Philip Okun, was a union official and distributor for The Post-Standard. Shortly after graduating from high school, she married Howard Brookner. She initially attended Syracuse University before transferring to Russell Sage College, where she graduated in 1964. While in college, she had her first son, Steven, and divorced her husband when she was 22. She continued to use her married name even after the divorce. She graduated from New York University in 1968 with a master's degree in Russian studies. While attending the university, one of her professors suggested that she apply for a job in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She trained at The Farm, where her instructors recommended that she work as an analyst. Instead, she took a position as a case officer for the Directorate of Operations and in March 1969, she was sent to Manila, Philippines. In 1972, she was transferred to Thailand. While there, she married Thompson in Bangkok the following year. She was then sent to Caracas, Venezuela, for three years where she served as acting deputy chief of station. In 1979, Brookner and Thompson divorced. However that September, The New York Times published her name in a front-page article by Tim Weiner.

On November 10, Toensing met with the defense attorney for the CIA, John A. Rogovin, and learned that there was an additional accusation that Brookner had sexually harassed a subordinate. The Justice Department initially refused to give a name but when Toensing realized they were not talking about a subordinate but instead the Drug Enforcement Administration's agent in Jamaica, Steve Widener, the Justice Department lawyers confirmed this. Widener agreed to sign an affidavit stating that Brookner had not sexually harassed him. On December 6, the case was settled and the CIA offered Brookner $410,000 . This meant she was barred from discussing her previous career with the agency or the circumstances surrounding her case. In exchange, the CIA promised to write her a letter of recommendation, but it was placed in her classified personnel file and was therefore inaccessible to future employers.

Later actions On July 13, 1995, Brookner wrote to the Attorney General, Janet Reno, recommending that a criminal investigation be launched against her accusers for perjury. No charges were brought but on March 22, 1996, she appeared on ABC News Nightline alongside former CIA officials, Robert Gates, Thomas Twetten, and Milton Bearden, all of whom condemned the agency's treatment of her.

Legal career After resigning from the CIA, Brookner enrolled in night classes at George Washington University Law School and graduated in 1998. She had intended to work on domestic violence cases but received an influx of calls from women who needed help with employment law cases involving sex discrimination and whistle-blowing in the government.

Her clients included Bonnie Hanssen, wife of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who was convicted of spying for Russia. Brookner proved that his wife did not know about his activities and ensured that she received the pension benefits to which she was entitled. She defended James Peterson and Patrick McHale, two federal meat inspectors with the Department of Agriculture who were fired after reporting their colleagues for bribery and misconduct. She also represented embassy officials who became victims of Havana syndrome. Brookner published a book in 2004 titled Piercing the Veil of Secrecy which was an instruction manual on how to beat the CIA and other federal agencies in court.

Death Brookner died on May 11, 2021, in Washington, D.C., from complications due to liver disease and cancer.