A new whistleblower has come forward with allegations that the FBI has been misusing its security clearance process to target employees based on their political beliefs, medical views, and ethnicity. This whistleblower, a supervisory special agent (SSA) and registered Democrat, has provided detailed disclosures to Congress, revealing a pattern of abuse within the FBI’s Security Division.
Empower Oversight, an organization dedicated to protecting whistleblowers and ensuring accountability, has highlighted these allegations in a letter to the Justice Department’s congressional oversight committees.
Rampant Reprisal in FBI Clearance Work
— Empower Oversight (@EMPOWR_us) July 2, 2024
A new whistleblower—a supervisor and a registered Democrat—with direct involvement has come forward and made protected disclosures to Congress revealing how the FBI’s Security Division improperly suspended or revoked employees’ security… pic.twitter.com/fdTgbAWjb2
New Democrat Whistleblower Reveals FBI’s Security Clearance Abuses
The whistleblower’s disclosures, submitted by Empower Oversight, detail how the FBI’s Security Division has improperly suspended or revoked security clearances of employees based on subjective and politically motivated criteria. According to the SSA, the division’s leadership often predetermined the outcomes of clearance investigations and overruled the recommendations of line staff. This process was allegedly used as a tool to force employees out of the FBI by suspending their clearance, suspending them from duty without pay, requiring permission to take other jobs, and indefinitely delaying final clearance adjudications.
In a letter to congressional committees, Empower Oversight’s president, Tristan Leavitt, urged swift action to investigate these allegations. Leavitt wrote, “The FBI is not a private club for FBI executives to shape in their own image. Empower Oversight respectfully requests that you work swiftly to independently corroborate the information in the attached disclosure with other witnesses, publicly document your findings, hold Director Wray and any responsible FBI officials accountable, and pass legislation to fix the abusive security clearance process and successfully protect future whistleblowers.”
One of the most notable cases highlighted by the whistleblower involves FBI Staff Operations Specialist (SOS) Marcus Allen. Allen had questioned whether FBI Director Christopher Wray had testified falsely to Congress and indicated he would not comply with the FBI’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Despite the Security Division staff finding insufficient grounds to suspend Allen’s security clearance, Division leadership did so anyway, claiming these issues indicated a lack of loyalty to the United States. Allen, a U.S. Marine veteran, had his clearance reinstated after Empower Oversight assisted him in filing a retaliation complaint. He was suspended without pay for over two years before his case was resolved.
The whistleblower’s disclosures also indicate that leaders in the Division hurried to revoke the clearances of Allen and Special Agent Steve Friend ahead of their testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. This revocation formed the basis for the FBI sharing information about their cases, some of which has since been proven inaccurate. The whistleblower further revealed that they and at least two other Security Division employees faced retaliation for raising concerns about these improper practices.
Despite two years of congressional scrutiny, officials responsible for these actions remain in senior FBI positions. Leavitt’s letter questions Director Wray’s decision to allow these officials to evade accountability and calls for immediate action to address this systemic issue.
The new whistleblower’s revelations highlight the critical need for reform in the FBI’s security clearance process. Empower Oversight’s demand for a comprehensive investigation and legislative measures aims to prevent future abuses and safeguard whistleblowers who bravely expose misconduct.
For further updates and more information on this issue, please visit Empower Oversight’s website and subscribe to their newsletter.
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