The FBI interrogated colleagues of a whistleblower about his support for former President Trump and whether he opposed the COVID-19 vaccine, according to internal files from the bureau’s Security Division. The whistleblower, who served in the FBI for 12 years, had his top secret security clearance revoked following the Capitol riot on January 6th, 2021. Empower Oversight, a nonprofit that represents the whistleblower, received pre-printed questions asked of fellow bureau employees about their client. The Clearance Investigations Unit’s questionnaire inquired whether the whistleblower would voice support for President Trump or object to Covid-19 vaccination, among other questions.
Some colleagues described the whistleblower as having “right-wing views” or “strong Republican values,” but they emphasized that these beliefs were not extreme and that he never promoted violence. The whistleblower took personal leave to attend the “Save America” rally on January 6th, but reported his attendance himself to an FBI security official and did not enter the Capitol grounds. He was informed by an examiner for the inspector general’s office during the probe that there was “no deception” in his answer.
The whistleblower had his clearance suspended in March 2022 and was suspended without pay during the investigation, but he eventually retired from the FBI. Empower Oversight is appealing the decision to revoke the clearance, as it could impact future employment opportunities for the whistleblower.
Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, expressed concerns that the Security Division’s actions demonstrated political bias and abuse of the security clearance process. He argued that support for President Trump or concern about COVID-19 vaccinations should not be equated with membership in a terrorist organization like Al Qaeda or the Chinese Communist Party. Leavitt also cited US Supreme Court precedent, which holds that terminating federal employees for even “treasonable or seditious utterances or acts” violates the First Amendment.
Leavitt further claimed that the internal bureau documents suggest this pattern of free speech suppression has been followed in many other cases within the FBI. The FBI’s Deputy Director, Paul Abbate, stated in a June 21st, 2023 letter to the DOJ inspector general’s office that anyone questioning the FBI’s response or his decisions regarding January 6th “did not belong in the FBI and should find a different job.” Leavitt has requested an investigation by Horowitz’s office into the scope of these abuses and to identify those responsible.
This issue follows a DOJ OIG probe in May that found the FBI had improperly retaliated against whistleblowers who had their security clearances suspended. Neither the FBI nor the OIG’s office immediately responded to a request for comment on this matter.
