The FBI Security Division interrogated employees concerning a fellow agent’s stances on COVID vaccines, Donald Trump, and a Second Amendment rally, according to whistleblower disclosures made to the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General on Saturday. This revelation heightens concerns that the FBI’s leadership is becoming increasingly politicized and aims to eliminate agents with certain disfavored perspectives.
Late Monday, a copy of the June 8, 2024 letter sent by Empower Oversight on behalf of its client, an unnamed whistleblower and now-retired FBI agent, was obtained by The Truth Voices. The letter was addressed to Inspector General Michael Horowitz and included three separate interview forms used by the FBI Security Division to question co-workers about the whistleblower.
The preprinted document began with a statement that the Clearance Investigations Unit was conducting an administrative investigation into allegations that the agent had exhibited behavior that questioned their ability to maintain a top-secret security clearance. It then informed the FBI employees that they were obligated to answer the questions fully, and failure to do so could result in their own security clearances being revoked.
A series of questions followed, asking co-workers whether the agent under investigation had: “Expressed support for President Trump?” “Expressed objection to COVID-19 vaccination?” “Expressed intent to attend 1/6/2021?” Additionally, the FBI Security Division required co-workers to disclose whether they knew if the target of the investigation had attended the Richmond Lobby Day event, an annual Second Amendment rally in Virginia.
The Empower Oversight letter emphasized the inappropriateness of these questions by quoting the Supreme Court: “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”
Furthermore, the high court has upheld that “the First Amendment protects political association as well as political expression,” underscoring our “profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open…”
The fact that the FBI Security Division had a preprinted form to interview employees about their co-worker’s views on Trump and the COVID vaccine, as well as attendance at political events, is a blatant infringement on the rights of citizens.
It is one thing to determine if the agent under investigation had breached the Capitol, committed any crimes, or advocated for others to engage in illegal acts. But none of the questions posed were pertinent to those legitimate concerns.
The whistleblower’s lawyers highlighted this point in their letter to the inspector general, stating that the FBI “has legitimate reasons to revoke the security clearances of employees who engage in or support unlawful acts, especially those intended to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.” They added, “But our client did not do any of those things.”
Nonetheless, the FBI revoked the agent’s security clearance and questioned his or her co-workers about the suspended agent’s opinions on political matters. It is disconcerting that the FBI seems to believe those who favor Trump or support the Second Amendment are a security risk; focusing on an agent’s stance on COVID vaccinations exposes the bureau’s true agenda: to eliminate anyone with “wrongthink.”
And it was effective: The agent retired rather than remain suspended without pay. He still hopes to regain his clearance, which would allow for other career opportunities. The whistleblower’s complaint, however, seeks more: for the inspector general’s office to investigate the FBI’s apparent abuse of the security clearance process in violation of the First Amendment and to determine the extent and the individuals responsible for these abuses.
