WASHINGTON –Empower Oversight has released new details about several clients caught in the crosshairs of the politicization of the FBI, in particular the Bureau’s Security Division (SecD). In a letter to the FBI’s new General Counsel Samuel Ramer that the whistleblower organization is just now making public, it seeks justice from the new administration for 10 FBI whistleblower, including four whose names remain confidential.
While some of the client backgrounds summarized in the letter are well-known, such as Marcus Allen, several whistleblowers who wish to remain anonymous have allowed new information to be released.
Empower Oversight is pressing the Justice Department to resolve these longstanding matters for several current and former FBI employees who were on the raw end of the FBI’s political maneuvering at the law enforcement agency.
The letter says that the FBI retaliated against whistleblowers and those targeted for their political beliefs by suspending or revoking their security clearances. This tactic allowed the FBI to delay proceedings indefinitely, financially strain the employees by suspending their pay, and block alternative job opportunities. As a result, many affected individuals were forced to resign without a fair chance to challenge the decision, perpetuating the issue without resolution.
“These FBI clients have waited a very long time on a system that, as of today, is still failing to keep its promises to protect whistleblowers from retaliation,” said Jason Foster, Founder and Chair of Empower Oversight.
“It’s past time to make good on those promises because, without action, the law becomes nothing but hollow, meaningless words—and when that trust is broken, good luck finding anyone else to stick their neck out to report wrongdoing in the future.” Foster said.
The ten case summaries include whistleblowers from within SecD itself, who the FBI retaliated against for objecting to its abuse of the security clearance process to retaliate against other whistleblowers.
The summaries also include a former FBI Counterintelligence Division China expert who was falsely accused of leaking information about Congressman Eric Swalwell’s relationship with a Chinese Spy. This former FBI intelligence analyst, who worked under infamous anti-Trump FBI Agent Peter Strzok, witnessed abuses of discretion in politically sensitive cases that favored prominent Democrats and targeted Republicans.
Empower Oversight requested that the Justice Department’s new Weaponization Working Group receive this and its other clients’ protected whistleblower disclosures, ensure that they are protected from further reprisal, and remedy the unjust targeting and reprisals they have already suffered. The working group has recently contacted Empower Oversight to begin learning more about the cases brought forward in the letter. The whistleblower group also suggested mediation to resolve the various complaints pending with various courts, the Inspector General, and internal FBI appeals.
In the letter, Foster writes, “To be clear, these proposals are not mutually exclusive. While it is our belief that new leadership of the FBI has the authority to remedy the wrongs suffered by our clients through management directives and should do so immediately, we are willing to work cooperatively on each of the fronts outlined above in order to explore amicable resolutions in each case.”
For a copy of the letter and case summaries, click here.