(UnitedVoice.com) – Republicans took control of the House of Representatives when the 118th Congress convened the first week of January. The following week, GOP lawmakers laid the groundwork for fulfilling their campaign promise to clean up Washington by creating the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (SSWFG) within the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the “weaponization of the federal government.”
Interim Report Released
On Thursday, May 18, The House Judiciary Committee and the SSWFG released an interim report detailing recent testimony from FBI whistleblowers. The 78-page document discussed the bureau’s alleged abuse of power, misallocation of federal resources, and pattern of retaliating against agents — past and present.
The SSWFG report covered information provided by several FBI insiders, including former Special Agents Stephen Friend and retired national security intelligence supervisor George Hill. The document also covers details provided by Marcus Allen and Garret O’Boyle, special agents currently on suspension. O’Boyle, Friend, and Hill offered public testimony before the select subcommittee on Thursday.
The three men devoted portions of their sworn testimony discussing the FBI’s longstanding pattern of retaliating against agents and other employees for cooperating with outsiders and investigative bodies like the SSWFG.
During his testimony, O’Boyle issued a dire warning to FBI employees.
FBI Whistleblower Warns Other Agents Considering Stepping Forward
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) asked O’Boyle if he had any advice to offer any of his FBI colleagues considering cooperating with the committee and other investigative bodies by providing testimony. Stunningly, O’Boyle said he would warn them that the FBI would “crush” them and their families if they attempted to “expose the truth” about the bureau’s inner workings. He reinforced that statement by noting that he and the other former FBI members testifying before the committee all served as “examples” of that misconduct.
Continuing, O’Boyle suggested that any FBI insiders could approach him, and he would submit their complaints to the committee on their behalf. In the alternative, O’Boyle said he could put them in contact with lawmakers. However, he reiterated his earlier warning, testifying that we “would advise them not to do it.”
Likewise, O’Boyle’s opening statement discussed FBI efforts to smear his reputation by publicly characterizing him as a “malcontent and [a] subpar … employee.” He also listed a litany of other tactics used by the bureau to retaliate against whistleblowers, like suspending them “under false pretenses” and stripping their security clearances without providing impacted workers any “real recourse or remedy.”
The SSWFG’s interim report applauded the bravery of the whistleblowers for their efforts to speak truth to power to help restore the bureau to its former status as the nation’s top investigative agency.
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