by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, reportedly obtained documents from a whistleblower that showed hundreds of FBI agents resigned between 2004 and 2020 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Grassley’s office shared information about an internal US Department of Justice (DOJ) report titled “Retirements and resignations during adjudications of sexual misconduct.”
According to this document:
665 FBI employees, including 45; [Senior Executive Service (SES)]-level employees have retired or resigned after FBI or [Justice Department Office of Inspector General (OIG)] investigation into alleged misconduct, but before [the Office of Professional Responsibility’s (OPR)] issuance of a final disciplinary letter.
However, Grassley noted that the number could be much higher than 665 because it does not include agents who resigned or retired before or during an ongoing investigation into misconduct.
The revelations of complaints in my office show a systemic failure of the FBI to protect women workers from shameful sexual harassment. senior employees get away with it, retire and get bonuses. When will FBI Dir Wray clean house?
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 6, 2022
The Justice Department conducted its internal report after a 2020 Associated Press report revealed there were “at least six allegations of sexual misconduct involving senior FBI officials over the past five years.”
Grassley’s office also obtained a second document, reportedly titled “Inconsistent Adjudication of Non-Consensual Sexual Misconduct,” which shows that lower-level FBI officials accused of misconduct may have been punished more than senior officials under the directive. of “zero tolerance” by FBI Director Christopher Wray.
According to the document:
[R]High-profile sexual harassment cases appear to show that OPR’s implementation of this directive has resulted in seemingly random penalties and disparate treatment, potentially compromising the consistency, fairness, and due process of the FBI’s disciplinary system.
…
The only discernible pattern appears to be that high-ranking employees, especially supervisors, are more likely to have their sexual harassment case prosecuted under Offense Code 5.22, and thus face lesser penalties. whereas, low-ranking employees are seemingly more likely to be prosecuted under Violation Code 5.20 and statistically more likely to be fired for their sexual misconduct. This can give the appearance that the FBI does not hold its superiors responsible for unwanted sexual behavior.
Grassley’s office kept the whistleblower’s identity and documents private to protect against illegal whistleblower retaliation.
Grassley on Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wray seeking more information about the FBI’s internal sex-abuse investigation.
Grassley said:
Legal, protected whistleblower disclosures provided to my office include allegations and records showing that hundreds of FBI employees have retired or resigned because of allegations of sexual misconduct against them, and that they did so to avoid accountability. The allegations and records paint a shameful picture of abuse that women in the FBI had to live with for many years. This abuse and misconduct is outrageous and beyond unacceptable.
The FBI responded to Grassley’s whistleblower disclosure on Thursday, saying the bureau is “taking a critical look at ourselves and will continue to make improvements.”
“The bottom line is that employees who commit serious misconduct and sexual harassment have no place at the FBI,” the FBI statement added. “We prioritize investigating and prosecuting cases of sexual harassment and misconduct, and when allegations of sexual harassment are substantiated, FBI employees face serious consequences, including permanent demotion, removal from supervisory ranks, or termination.”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at [email protected] or follow him Twitter.
