The lawyers for 10 FBI whistleblowers announced on Tuesday that they reached an agreement with the Department of Justice regarding their clients. The agents alleged that the Biden administration politicized the FBI and unfairly disciplined them for their views.
Several of the agents expressed skepticism regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates or targeting the Biden administration’s political enemies, leading superiors to revoke their security clearances or suspend their pay. This disciplining often forced the targeted employees to resign or retire early.
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One federal agent, Garret O’Boyle, was suspended after being suspected of leaking information to Project Veritas, a conservative activist group. He denied these claims, saying he accessed FBI files for reports in his protected whistleblowing to Congress. O’Boyle testified before Congress in 2023, saying, “My oath did not include sacrificing the hopes, dreams, and livelihood of my family.” He is now returning to duty at the FBI.
Another agent, Stephen Friend, testified to Congress that he objected to an operation using a SWAT team to arrest a Jan. 6 riot defendant on a misdemeanor charge, citing concerns over public and personnel safety. His objection was filed through a protected whistleblower disclosure.
Despite legal protections against retaliation, Friend told Congress, “At each level of my chain of command, leadership cautioned that despite my exemplary work performance, whistleblowing placed my otherwise bright future with the FBI at risk.”
After proposing alternative methods of arrest and noting the subject’s previous peaceful cooperation with law enforcement, Friend was suspended indefinitely without pay. This financial pressure ultimately forced him to resign.
Three of the 10 agents have been reinstated to serve at the FBI, while others were allowed to voluntarily retire and receive back pay. The organization representing the agents, Empower Oversight, said other cases of whistleblower retaliation in the Biden-era FBI remain.
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The Biden FBI has faced other allegations of politicization. The bureau published an anti-Catholic intelligence memo in 2023, warning about “radical traditionalist Catholics.” The document was sent to more than 1,000 employees, reaching a much broader audience than acknowledged by former FBI Director Christopher Wray. It was positively received by its recipient field offices, with no internal pushback.
The Trump administration has also been accused of politicizing the DOJ. Several Trump allies suspected of corruption have had their criminal investigations dropped, including Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and former Republican Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. The recent raid on former national security adviser John Bolton’s home last week also raised concerns.