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top Republican senator revealed whistleblower allegations and internal Justice Department records showing that, in an effort to avoid being held accountable, hundreds of employees at the FBI either resigned or retired from the bureau after being accused of sexual misconduct.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) made his findings public in a Thursday letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, stating that the allegations and records “paint a disgraceful picture of abuse that women within the FBI have had to live with” for years.
“Lawful, protected whistleblower disclosures provided to my office include allegations and records that show hundreds of FBI employees have retired or resigned because of sexual misconduct allegations against them and that they did so in order to avoid accountability,” Grassley said. “This abuse and misconduct is outrageous and beyond unacceptable.”
The Republican senator said he was not making the whistleblower documents public due to concerns about unlawful retaliation. He added that the facts “make clear that female employees are the primary victims.”
Grassley also cited an internal, unclassified Justice Department document from the Office of Disciplinary Appeals titled “Retirements and Resignations During Unwelcome Sexual Conduct Adjudications” with data through Dec. 23, 2020. The DOJ reviewed the FBI’s disciplinary case database, Javelin, “to observe patterns and offer recommendations.”
