FBI Is Now a ‘Weaponized Apparatchik’ of the Presidential Administration: Whistleblower

 

• Blowing the Whistle

  Friend—now a senior fellow at the Center for Renewing America—previously worked as a special agent in the FBI’s Jacksonville, Florida, office, but was suspended from the agency after he came forward last September with concerns about how the bureau was handling child sexual abuse cases and allegations that cases were being inappropriately assigned. Friend had also objected to the FBI’s use of SWAT teams to arrest individuals suspected of committing misdemeanors during the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. According to a March 6 letter (pdf) written by whistleblower organization Empower Oversight, Friend was informed in December by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that, “after careful consideration,” the OIG had decided against opening an investigation into his allegations. However, on March 16, DOJ Assistant Inspector General Sean O’Neill responded that DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz “still intends to schedule an interview with Mr. Friend regarding his disclosures.”

• Views on Jan. 6

  And the Capitol Police, he noted, did appear to give protesters permission to enter the building.“Whether or not the Capitol Police were trying to deescalate the situation doesn’t mitigate the fact that they gave permission to those folks and assured them that they were within the law to walk through the Capitol peacefully and admire the House of Representatives and the Senate.”

• Given the stresses of the internal conflict between the rank-and-file officers and leadership, Friend noted that some officers might be tempted to keep quiet about misconduct at the bureau until they can collect their pensions and leave. But that temptation, he said, should not supersede their oath of office.“You swear an oath in the very beginning, and that has to mean something at the end of the day,” he said. &# 8220;I stood up and I swore an oath before God, my family, and my colleagues that I was going to protect the Constitution and my fellow countrymen. And I joined the FBI to do the work of the FBI, not to retire from the FBI.”As for others on the inside looking to speak out, Friend encouraged them to do so—but smartly.“You should look into the proper whistleblowing procedures and make sure your concerns are brought forward. And hopefully, the select committee looking at government weaponization will protect whistleblowers, so that you’re not going to have to sacrifice that career.”The Epoch Times has contacted the FBI for comment.

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