United Auto Workers head Shawn Fain cried persecution after coming under a Department of Justice investigation over corruption allegations.
After UAW Vice President Rich Boyer accused Fain of using his position to seek favors for his fiancée and her sister, and of retaliating and making false accusations against him, the DOJ launched an investigation into the union leader, according to internal communications obtained by Bloomberg. Fain has also claimed the investigation is motivated by retaliation against his anti-corporate stance and hinted that the timing, coming right before a union election, is no coincidence. Boyer is running for the top position.
“This is what happens when you go against corporate America and their allies, and I’m not going to be intimidated or harassed out of serving our membership,” Fain said in a statement obtained by the New York Times.
He didn’t confirm that a grand jury investigation was underway, but said he was the victim of “bogus allegations” meant to sway the election against him. UAW said there wasn’t a grand jury investigation against itself.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the DOJ for confirmation and comment.
When reached for comment, Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, said DOJ policy prohibits her from confirming or denying the existence of an investigation.
New York attorney Neil Barofsky, the federally appointed watchdog overseeing the union, found in a report released Thursday that Fain retaliated against Boyer, a finding Fain derided as politically motivated and stemming from a heated personal argument he had with Barofsky over the union executive board’s call for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza in 2024.
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“Now, more than two years after becoming aware of Vice President Boyer’s allegations, and on the eve of our election, Mr. Barofsky has chosen to publicly release a politically charged and false report about me. The most reasonable conclusion is that he is playing political games and abusing his power,” Fain wrote in a statement obtained by CNBC News.
Jenner & Block, Barofsky’s employer, defended him, saying in a statement he has “acted with the highest levels of professionalism, integrity, and respect in his roles in public service, private practice, and as a DOJ-appointed monitor.”