When a Whistleblower steps down and asks you to be prepared…please listen…because they know things that they cannot say out loud. pic.twitter.com/jzJ8t6wH2b
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) September 25, 2024
Hello,
My name is Marcus Allen, I am a Staff Operations Specialist for the FBI in the
Charlotte, NC field office. Due to whistleblower retaliation by the FBI, I have been
suspended without pay for more than a year. Thank you to the committee for
allowing me time today to convey my concerns about the current FBI. In
particular, I am concerned – and I believe this committee should also be concerned
– about the FBI’s use of the security clearance process to retaliate against
whistleblowers.
First, though, just so you know a little bit about me, I served honorably in the
United States Marine Corps from 2000 to 2005. I was deployed to Kuwait and
served two tours in Iraq and contributed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. During my
deployments, I was exposed to live enemy fire on numerous occasions, even
though I served primarily in analytical and intelligence roles. I was awarded the
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps
Achievement Medal. I eventually joined the FBI and was employee of the year in
2019 in the Charlotte Field office. As the holder of a Top Secret security clearance
since 2001, I have been trusted with the nation’s greatest secrets.
So why am I here today? Despite my history of unblemished service to the United
States, the FBI suspended my security clearance, accusing me of actually being
DISLOYAL to my country. This outrageous and insulting accusation is based on
unsubstantiated accusations that I hold “conspiratorial views” regarding the events
of January 6, 2021 and that I allegedly sympathize with criminal conduct. I do not.
I was not in Washington DC on January 6, played no part in the events of January
6, and I condemn all criminal activity that occurred. Instead, it appears that I was
retaliated against because I forwarded information to my superiors and others that
questioned the official narrative of the events of January 6. As a result, I was accused of promoting “conspiratorial views” and “unreliable information.”
Because I did this, the FBI questioned my allegiance to the United States.
Since I was suspended, there has been a dearth of communication from the FBI,
with interactions seemingly only being forced by actions from my counsel or
members of congress. For example, I was not even interviewed by anyone from the
FBI until May of 2022. I was suspended in January of 2022. This interaction with
the FBI happened on the heels of a public statement from a congressional member
in early May of 2022. The member made statements indicating the FBI was
conducting a purge of employees with conservative viewpoints. Within hours of
the public statements my counsel received a phone call from the FBI wanting to
see if they could conduct an interview. I promptly complied and did an interview
with investigators within a week. Throughout this ordeal, I and my counsel have
responded quickly whereas the FBI has only stonewalled. I have filed a federal
civil rights lawsuit, which is pending, seeking to recover my livelihood and restore
my good name.
Recently my counsel filed a whistleblower complaint with the Justice
Department’s Office of Inspector General. The complaint set forth retaliation
through misuse of the security clearance process as well as reprisal against me for
making a protected disclosure. Interestingly enough in the wake of filing the
complaint I received correspondence from the FBI indicating that my clearance
had now been formally revoked. This occurred after filing my complaint with the
IG. The new and baseless claims made in the letter had never been brought up
prior to the issuance of the security clearance revocation letter. I have never had
the opportunity to defend myself. I only had one interview with the FBI which
occurred a year ago after apparent prompting from Congress. In that interview, the
investigators towards the end of the interview uttered in response to my
exasperation, “Don’t sue us!”
This has been a trying circumstance for me and my family. It has been more than a
year since the FBI took my paycheck from me. My family and I have been
surviving on early withdrawals from our retirement accounts while the FBI has
ignored my request for approval to obtain outside employment during the review
of my security clearance. We have lost our federal health insurance coverage.
There is apparently no end in sight.
I am hopeful scrutiny from congress and from the inspector general will deter the
FBI from abusing the security clearance process to retaliate against others the way
it has retaliated against me. This is why I have filed a whistleblower retaliation
complaint with the IG and why I am here today to answer your questions. Thank
you.
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