Whistleblower wins security clearance and back pay after battle with FBI

By Kerry Picket - The Washington Times - Tuesday, June 4, 20241/2

The FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen proclaimed victory Tuesday after the bureau restored his security clearance plus full back pay and benefits Friday. Mr. Allen voluntarily resigned under a settlement agreement with the FBI that includes full restoration of his pay and benefits for the entire 27 months of his suspension by the bureau.

“It’s been a difficult couple of years, and I am truly grateful for my friends and family who helped us through this. While I feel vindicated now in getting back my security clearance, it is sad that in the country I fought for as a Marine, the FBI was allowed to lie about my loyalty to the U.S. for two years,” Mr. Allen said in a statement. “Unless there is accountability, it will keep happening to others. Better oversight and changes to security clearance laws are key to stop abuses suffered by whistleblowers like me.”

In a series of exclusive reports, The Washington Times detailed Mr. Allen’s cases and several other FBI whistleblowers who said bureau officials retaliated against them or punished them for political views by revoking security clearances, resulting in their suspension without pay. Mr. Allen was represented by Empower Oversight and the American Center for Law and Justice in his fight against the FBI leadership.

Empower Oversight said the FBI “totally capitulated,” and the attorney group is urging Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz to release the facts found in its inquiry, “given that the FBI did a 180 after 27 months on the verge of a final [Office of Inspector General] report.”

In a letter sent to Mr. Horowitz, Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt recounted the 27-month ordeal suffered by Mr. Allen and his family, who were forced to take early withdrawals from retirement accounts to survive.

“Although he also agreed to withdraw his complaints to your office and is no longer employed with the bureau, Mr. Allen believes that the public and the FBI’s oversight committees in Congress must learn the facts discovered during your extensive inquiry,” Mr. Leavitt wrote.

He stressed that FBI whistleblowers shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their families and fighting for their right to due process while being free from retaliation for protected disclosures.

“Until there is sunlight and accountability for the FBI’s abuses in this case, the chilling effect on future whistleblowing at the FBI cannot be overstated,” he wrote.

The Washington Times reached out to the FBI for comment but did not immediately hear back.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, who has spearheaded a probe of abuses in the FBI’s Security Division, also called SecD, praised Mr. Allen’s perseverance.

“Marcus bravely stood up to expose misconduct at the FBI, despite attacks from FBI bureaucrats and congressional Democrats,” Mr. Jordan said in a statement. “All Americans owe Marcus a debt of gratitude, and the FBI must also reinstate the security clearances of whistleblowers Garret O’Boyle and Stephen Friend.”

Several FBI whistleblowers, including Mr. Allen, testified before House lawmakers last year about being punished by having their security clearances and pay revoked.

Mr. Horowitz faulted the Justice Department for not providing an inspector general appeal process for employees whose security clearances are suspended for more than one year and who say an agency is retaliating against them.

According to the inspector general’s office, federal law requires government agencies to establish a security clearance review process that “permit[s] … individuals [with a retaliation claim] to retain their government employment status while [the security clearance review] is pending.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jun/4/whistleblower-marcus-allen-wins-security-clearance/

>>20967301

2/2

According to the inspector general’s review, the Justice Department policy also doesn’t restrict or provide guidance on how long an employee can be suspended indefinitely without pay while the security review process is pending.

Mr. Horowitz said the Justice Department doesn’t consider “any practicable alternatives to indefinite suspension without pay during a security investigation for employees.”

He made four recommendations to address the problems:

• Let employees file a retaliation claim with the inspector general’s office when a security clearance review or suspension lasts longer than one year.

• Ensure that employees are notified in writing of their right to file a retaliation claim with the inspector general’s office when a security clearance review or suspension lasts longer than one year.

• Ensure that employees whose security clearance has been suspended, revoked or denied and who have made retaliation claims have an opportunity to “retain their government employment status” during a security investigation.

• Implement a process to “make every effort to resolve suspension cases as expeditiously as circumstances permit.”

Mr. Allen had his security clearance suspended after the bureau accused him of having conspiratorial views about the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol and of sympathizing with criminal conduct.

According to a November 2023 protected whistleblower disclosure sent by a SecD employee to lawmakers, Senior SecD officials Dena Perkins and Jeffrey Veltri launched an investigation against Mr. Allen because he emailed several news items within his office related to former President Donald Trump that were deemed conspiratorial.

However, the executives in Mr. Allen’s Charlotte field office were not pushing for him to lose his security clearance or even have an administrative misconduct charge leveled against him.

The Charlotte field office planned to handle the matter by having Mr. Allen transferred from working in Domestic Terrorism to another branch within the field office.

The investigation into Mr. Allen continued despite SecD not finding any anti-American issues about Mr. Allen, initially, the disclosure says.

According to the disclosure, SecD concluded Mr. Allen was sympathetic to conservative viewpoints when he performed two background checks on subjects with whom he found no glaring issues. However, SecD investigators did subsequent checks and found information that they said was sympathetic to right-wing ideologies.

“There was no indication that Allen had actually ever seen the information. However, Perkins and Veltri had decided that Allen had hidden the information because he was sympathetic to anti-American conservative groups,” the protected disclosure said.

The disclosure also says a senior SecD employee challenged Ms. Perkins about her deeming that Mr. Allen was anti-American and told her that she couldn’t just make things up about a Marine who had fought in combat. Ms. Perkins responded by having that SecD employee transferred to a “do nothing” job until he left SecD.

Another SecD employee also complained to Ms. Perkins about her treatment of Mr. Allen, but she had her mind made up and Mr. Allen had his security clearance revoked, according to the whistleblower disclosure.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jun/4/whistleblower-marcus-allen-wins-security-clearance/

PS: The DOJ hasn't had an Inspector General since Holder or the prior AG was there, they refuse to allow an IG or OIG to investigate them.

>>20967275 why didn't he apologize to the dead people's families?

>>20967275 every anon here posted for a year or more, researched day and night, how we all warned our friends and family over an over with technical scientific and all kinds of studies, if they turn that around on us, then hell will be waiting for them. And we are still reporting on it.

But you are right, evil knows no bounds with them.

>>20967127 (PB)

Can you imagine having this media sabotage directed at Netanyahu right now, while Israel are at physical war with Hamas, for their very existence?

Yes Joe is trying to destroy Netanyahu, the government (and country) by lies, while the US is their ally. Isn't there a better time to discuss this than during a actual war?

Is it appropriate to start a political war with Israel, while the country is at physical war? Their very country and people at real existential risk and survival. FJB!

Bidan is only doing it because the he is losing in the 2024 election, because Muslims won't vote for him now, so he'll turn on and betray a long term ally. it won't help him, Muslims in the US hate him more than anyone now (but most of them are planning to take over the US, the ones in MI & MN, etc.). Even if Joe got their vote, he won't win, so they will cheat again.

(I'm sure Netanyahu regrets supporting Bidan and being such an asshole to Trump)

I hope the EU country leaders are seeing how easy it is for Joe to be evil and betray partners. They might already know since Bidan ordered the blowing of the Nord Stream 2, and cost Germany billions and billions of dollars. m 2, and cost Germany billions and billions of dollars.

(Guys does it look like Jake Tapper is starting to get a conscience?)

>>20967366

Who's taking sides, how do you know what you are reading is true? You missed the point.

Are you the anons that are posting sympathy articles?

You should listen to Todd Bensman, go to his site, to truly understand that the Palenstians are taught by Hamas (terrorists) as small children to hate and brutally kill Israelis.

I'm saying that Biddan is betraying an ally during a war for his desire to get re-elected and draw Muslims in to vote for him, not for any good purpose, not about what is right, it's Bidan's & Obama's sheer evil nature.

Iran supporting Hamas, Hezbolleh and Palestinians, are not exactly without blame either. There are always innocents in war, but how would you know who is?

Bensman Breaks Down The Political Angle For Biden To Shut Down The Border While Faulting RepublicansA lot to do with the Lankford bill for supposed Border Security

4:50

https://rumble.com/embed/v4x7v6b/?pub=4

Peter McIlvenna Breaks Down The Effects Of Nigel Farage Rejoining UK PoliticsNigel has 100s of 1000s people listening to him outside. Huge Crowd. The people are so excited about him running again. This time running is different and extremely effective. They have never seen such huge crowds, even for the Prime Ministers, and announced only the day before he was speaking. Go NIGEL!

4:21

https://rumble.com/embed/v4x7tnb/?pub=4

Bensman: Biden's Immigration Executive Order Set Up For Failure; All Politics. Bidan is finally realizing he won't win if he doesn't do some tricks and lies about & on the border. Bidan Admin always have evil intents and a set up for the televised debate with Trump, accusing him of killing the Lankford bill, which was shit.EO has a big fat escape hatch in the EO, they just have to lie to the Border Patrol, so this has nothing to do with stopping the illegals. it's all politics.

13:01

https://rumble.com/embed/v4x9rr9/?pub=4