FBI whistleblower delivers heartfelt testimony about unjust retaliation he faced | Whistleblower

A former FBI employees operations specialist choked up Wednesday as he instructed lawmakers on Capitol Hill about his years of struggling for lawfully expressing dissent — one among many retaliatory actions deemed “highly inappropriate” by the Justice Department’s inspector basic.

Marcus Allen, whose attorneys reached a settlement with the bureau earlier this 12 months, instructed the Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government that higher-ups “accused me of promoting conspiratorial views and unreliable information” for questioning what number of confidential informants had been current on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

“The FBI questioned my allegiance to the United States, suspended my security clearance, suspended my pay and refused to allow me to obtain outside employment or even accept charity,” Allen testified about the 27 months he was held in “indefinite limbo.”

“There are no words strong enough to describe the impact the FBI’s lies about me have had on me and my family,” he went on, changing into emotional. “The stress has taken a toll on our health and our children have suffered, traumatized by the thought of our door getting kicked in or Dad not coming home.”

A religious Catholic, Allen stated he was even compelled to take early withdrawals from a retirement account to make mortgage funds for his household dwelling.

“Despite the stress and uncertainty, I’ve never once regretted standing up for truth,” added the previous G-man and Marine Corps veteran, his voice quavering. “Indeed, my family and I persevered due to our strength in faith, God’s grace and the sacraments.”

“What we have gained spiritually has far outweighed what was lost materially,” he instructed committee members, later revealing that the bureau has but to pay out his settlement cash.

The accusations in opposition to Allen stemmed from a Sept. 29, 2021, e-mail that he forwarded to supervisors and colleagues on the Charlotte Field Office, which included hyperlinks to what was later flagged as “extremist propaganda” from “questionable sources.”

Allen despatched the hyperlinks to focus on what he believed was not “forthright” testimony by FBI Director Christopher Wray about confidential human sources not being on the Capitol throughout the “Stop the Steal” rally thrown by former President Donald Trump.

His perception was buttressed by reporting that originated within the New York Times and included hyperlinks to different well-known political information websites just like the polling aggregator RealClearPolitics.

Ex-FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono confirmed final 12 months in testimony to the complete House Judiciary Committee that the bureau even misplaced rely of the entire confidential informants on the bottom that day.

Allen testified alongside his legal professional, Tristan Leavitt, president of the whistleblower authorized nonprofit Empower Oversight, and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

Both had been capable of talk about Allen’s case since he had waived his privateness rights after regaining his safety clearance and profitable again pay within the June settlement, making him the one former spook to beat the suspension of a safety clearance.

“No employee should suffer reprisal for bringing forward information that they reasonably believe is evidence of waste, fraud, abuse or a violation of law,” Horowitz stated in his opening remarks earlier than laying out the allegations that he is investigating associated to the FBI’s safety clearance investigation and adjudication course of.

Those claims embody “highly inappropriate questions being asked of witnesses during the security clearance investigations” — together with political conservatives who had been seen as loyal to Trump or proof against COVID-19 vaccine mandates — and a minimum of one case of a clearance being revoked “based on race.”

“These allegations raise serious issues, and I would note do not apply to only a subset of employees with certain political views or ideologies,” Horowitz added, vowing he was looking for “to ensure that the security clearance investigation and adjudication is never used against whistleblowers” once more.

Leavitt’s authorized nonprofit is repping three present FBI staff who took challenge with the bureau’s remedy of Marcus throughout his safety clearance investigation.

“Two of them also suffered reprisal from the FBI for trying to treat him fairly,” the Empower Oversight president testified. “In fact, the entire leadership of the Division’s Clearance Adjudication Unit was removed in September 2023, apparently in reprisal for standing up to improper direction from leadership.”

Leavitt additionally name-checked FBI Miami Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri, who was allegedly investigated for retaliating in opposition to whistleblowers utilizing the safety clearance course of, usually “based on political views and personal medical decisions.”

Veltri, who's presently overseeing the FBI investigation into the second assassination try on Trump earlier this month, additionally mocked Allen as “delusional” for being motivated by his sincerely held non secular beliefs to query Wray’s testimony about the Capitol riot.

Allen rebuked Veltri in his testimony, saying: “You can insult me, but you should not mock God.”

Horowitz, beneath questioning from Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), additionally known as the assault on Allen’s non secular outlook “very concerning.”

Allen’s case is one among dozens reviewed by Horowitz earlier this 12 months as a part of a probe into the FBI’s retaliation through the safety clearance course of.

At least 106 brokers had been suspended for a median of virtually 18 months with the state of their safety clearance and future employment unsure, in response to knowledge launched in May by Horowitz’s workplace.

“It is my opinion that the bureau used reprisal and fear to control the workforce,” Allen stated in his closing remarks. “I welcome the work of the IG, but I think [with] any type of lawless action, there’s no legitimate timeframe to rein them back in.”

“Their ability to overclassify information,” he added, “can allow them to stonewall forever.”