Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, has responded to the FBI’s denial of allegations that they are engaging in a “purge” of conservative employees and retaliating against whistleblowers, who have made protected disclosures to Congress, by revoking their security clearances.
Jordan claimed that over a dozen FBI whistleblowers have come to him and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee alleging misconduct within the FBI. He and other Republicans have been investigating “serious allegations of abuse and misconduct within the senior leadership of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Jordan says he has received information of retaliation against FBI employees who have confidentially reported alleged misconduct to Congress in a letter written to FBI executive assistant director of the Human Resources branch Jennifer Moore.
“During the course of this investigation, we have received protected whistleblower disclosures that the FBI is engaging in a ‘purge’ of employees with conservative views by revoking their security clearances and indefinitely suspending these employees,” Jordan wrote, noting that “many of the formal notices” for those personnel actions had been signed by Moore.
He also wrote he has information suggesting Moore has “retaliated against at least one whistleblower who has made protected disclosures to Congress.”
That whistleblower shared information with the committee, which notified them about the Justice Department’s efforts to set up a threat tag label against parents to identify threats at school board meetings against faculty and to “prosecute them when appropriate.”
“As we informed Director Christopher Wray, we take whistleblower retaliation seriously and we therefore require that you appear for a transcribed interview as soon as possible,” Jordan said.
In response, the FBI denied the claims, saying that it does not punish employees for expressing their views, nor does it retaliate against whistleblowers.
“The FBI does not target or take adverse action against employees for exercising their First Amendment rights or for their political views; to allege otherwise is false and misleading,” an FBI spokesperson claimed. “The FBI is required to follow established policies and procedures, to include a thorough investigation, when suspending or revoking a security clearance.”
The FBI said it “takes very seriously its responsibility to FBI employees who may make protected disclosures under the whistleblower regulations,” the spokesperson said, adding, “FBI employees who report evidence of wrongdoing through a protected disclosure are protected from retaliation.”
Jordan responded to those claims on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus,” Friday.
“Established policies and procedures, are you kidding me?” Jordan said. “In the past several weeks, they’ve raided the home of a former president, taking the phone of a sitting member of Congress, and we saw what they did to the pastor and his family and seven children: 20 agents, guns drawn, going to his house, when the local officials said there was no crime whatsoever. So established policies, you’ve got to be kidding me. So that’s what’s going on at the FBI.”
“And now what’s happening is the people who are brave enough to take whistleblower status and come talk to us, they’re coming after them,” he continued. “And remember when it started. It started a few weeks ago when Merrick Garland sent out a memorandum to everyone in the Justice Department [on] here are the rules and guidelines for when you talk to Congress. It was a memo to chill their speech. And since that, we’ve learned of people’s security clearances being revoked and now suspensions for FBI whistleblowers who’ve come to us.”
“So if that’s not retaliation, tell me what it is. Because it sure looks that way. I’m sure they got some something they’re going to say that, oh, it’s not. But that’s what it appears to the American people to be. That’s certainly what it appears to us and our lawyers to be,” the rep. concluded.
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