Whistleblower: 665 left FBI over misconduct
WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator is pressing the FBI for more information after a whistleblower alleged that an internal review found 665 FBI personnel have resigned or retired to avoid accountability in misconduct probes over the past two decades.
The whistleblower told the office of Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the Justice Department launched the review of the FBI’S disciplinary database in 2020 following an Associated Press investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving at least six senior FBI officials.
The follow-up review found 665 FBI employees, including 45 senior-level officials, resigned or retired between 2004 and 2020 following a misconduct probe but before a final disciplinary letter could be issued, according to a letter this week from Grassley to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
It was not clear how many of those cases involved sexual misconduct. Grassley’s office, which declined to make the whistleblower or underlying documents available to protect the person’s identity, said in its letter it was still seeking that information but also characterized that number as possibly being in the “hundreds.”
“It’s been alleged to my office that the data involved an element of sexual misconduct, which comports with the purpose of the ... review that was done because of the Associated Press article,” Grassley wrote.
Asked for its response, the FBI told AP it intended to respond to the oversight committee first. It declined to comment specifically on the whistleblower’s allegation or to provide its own tally of disciplinary cases and how many of them involved sexual misconduct.
It instead issued a statement saying it has a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment.
The FBI said since establishing a working group just days after the AP story was published in December 2020, the bureau has implemented a series of changes, including a 24/7 tip line with a licensed clinician where employees can report abuse, and a working group of senior executives to review policies and procedures on harassment and victim support.
Grassley asked in his letter for updates on other changes recommended by the Justice Department, including that it fasttrack investigations to reduce the chance an accused employee could become eligible for retirement and leave the FBI before a probe can be completed.
Tracy Walder, a former FBI agent who left the bureau in 2006 after she filed a sexual harassment complaint, said she believes such misconduct is pervasive and is glad it is finally being taken seriously.
“I do not believe that the entirety of the FBI behaves this way. In fact, there are many excellent agents. However, because of the way I was treated, I feel a sense of shame and ‘What if?’ And this behavior has been allowed to continue for decades.”