Whistleblower: FBI internal investigators questioned employees about co-worker’s political beliefs

The FBI Security Division officials’ investigation of an FBI employee included questions about the employee’s political and personal beliefs, according to whistleblower disclosures recently sent to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.

The disclosure cited Security Division questionnaires given to the agent’s co-workers that asked if the employee under investigation had: “Vocalize[d] support for President Trump” or “Vocalized objection to COVID-19 vaccination” or “Vocalized intent to attend 1/6/2021.”

The watchdog group Empower Oversight released a copy of the June 8 whistleblower disclosure letter sent to DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.

It’s the latest in a flood of whistleblower complaints that have prompted congressional scrutiny of the FBI’s top brass for unfair treatment of agents and other bureau employees, including for their political ideology.

This time, the whistleblower is an unnamed now-retired FBI worker who served the bureau for 12 years.

The Security Division, also known as SecD, also asked on the document if the employee under investigation had attended the Richmond Lobby Day event, an annual Second Amendment rally at the Virginia State Capitol.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.

The FBI employees approached by SecD were told that the Clearance Investigations Unit was conducting an administrative investigation of the employee’s ability to maintain a top-secret security clearance.

The co-workers were presented with a document reminding them that the FBI employees have a duty to respond to the questions and any failure to reply fully and truthfully may result in SecD taking action against their security clearances, according to the disclosure.

Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, wrote in the letter to Mr. Horowitz that based on these documents, it is reasonable to say for his client to believe that SecD has been doing this more broadly to “purge employees with disfavored views from the FBI.”

“The three pre-printed questions that SecD asked our client’s fellow employees show that the FBI systematically compelled them to report on our client’s personal political beliefs and views of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Mr. Leavitt said the information officials at SecD compelled FBI employees to disclose was “completely irrelevant” to any “legitimate security risk determination [and] violates the First Amendment.”

He also said the FBI’s “purge” was successful because the bureau’s “Kafkaesque, never-ending internal appeal process and the procedural limits” ultimately convinced their client to retire early.

With early retirement, the former employee gave up years of additional retirement credits, health benefits and employment opportunities, Mr. Leavitt said.

While the FBI worker attended the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol, the letter said, he did not enter the building or break the law, and he “quickly and voluntarily self-disclosed attendance at the protest after it descended into a riot.”

“SecD had a legitimate reason to investigate whether our client committed any crimes, advocated any illegal acts, or did anything else that raised a legitimate security concern. The FBI also has legitimate reasons to revoke the security clearances of employees who engage in or support unlawful acts, particularly those designed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power,” he wrote.

“But our client did not do any of those things. Revoking a security clearance for being near those who did or merely sharing some similar political views as others who acted unlawfully is pure guilt by association.”