{"id":2264652,"date":"2024-06-11T08:23:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T12:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-interrogates-co-workers-about-whistleblowers-views-on-covid-vax-trump-and-second-amendment\/"},"modified":"2024-06-11T08:26:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T12:26:05","slug":"fbi-interrogates-co-workers-about-whistleblowers-views-on-covid-vax-trump-and-second-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-interrogates-co-workers-about-whistleblowers-views-on-covid-vax-trump-and-second-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Questions Colleagues on Whistleblower&#8217;s Opinions Regarding COVID Vaccine, Trump, and Gun Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-interrogates-co-workers-about-whistleblowers-views-on-covid-vax-trump-and-second-amendment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2264652&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2064FBI Security Division has been probing its own employees,\u200d inquiring about their opinions\u2064 on\u2062 topics like COVID-19 vaccines, \u2063former President Donald\u2063 Trump, and potential attendance at political rallies such as the Second Amendment rally in \u200bVirginia. \u2062These investigations were highlighted\u200d through \u2063documents received by\u200b The Federalist from a\u200c whistleblower,\u2063 a now-retired FBI agent, who reported the matter\u200c to the Department of Justice\u2019s Office of Inspector General. This revelation \u200dhas sparked concerns \u2062regarding the politicization of the \u200dFBI, with allegations that the \u200bagency is trying to\u200b purge\u2063 agents holding certain political views. Critics, including the organization Empower Oversight, argue that such probing violates constitutional rights\u200c to free speech and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/social-media-execs-to-gather-for-palestine-digital-activism-forum-hosted-by-group-with-terror-ties\/\" title=\"Social Media Execs To Gather For \u2018Palestine Digital Activism Forum\u2019 Hosted By Group With \u2018Terror\u2019 Ties\">political association<\/a>, stating that officials cannot dictate political \u2062beliefs or compel declarations of such beliefs under threat of losing security clearances.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The FBI Security Division questioned employees about a fellow agent\u2019s views on COVID vaccines, Donald Trump, and a Second Amendment rally, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-agent-under-fire-in-hunter-biden-investigation-refuses-gop-request-to-testify\/\" title=\"FBI Agent Under Fire in Hunter Biden Investigation Refuses GOP Request to Testify\">whistleblower disclosures made<\/a> to the Department of Justice\u2019s Office of Inspector General on Saturday. This revelation raises more concerns that the FBI\u2019s leadership has become hopelessly politicized and seeks to purge itself of agents with certain disfavored views.<\/p>\n<p>Late Monday, The Federalist obtained a copy of the June 8, 2024, letter sent by Empower Oversight on behalf of its client, an unnamed whistleblower and now-retired FBI agent, to Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Enclosed with the letter were three separate interview forms used by the FBI Security Division in questioning co-workers about the whistleblower. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-995884031\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c14e172db10cfbd3f158b703345a5a85 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c14e172db10cfbd3f158b703345a5a85\"><\/div>\n<p>The preprinted document opened by stating that the Clearance Investigations Unit was conducting an administrative investigation regarding allegations that the agent had engaged in conduct that called into question his ability to maintain a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voa-misallocates-funds-and-suppresses-negative-stories-about-iran-this-lawmaker-wants-to-investigate\/\" title=\"VOA Misallocates Funds and Suppresses Negative Stories About Iran. This Lawmaker Wants To Investigate.\">top-secret <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-china-is-stealing-dna-of-u-s-citizens\/\" title=\"Report: China is Stealing DNA of U.S. Citizens\">security clearance<\/a><\/a>. The introductory comments then informed the FBI employees that they had a duty to reply to the questions and that failure to reply fully could result in their own security clearances being revoked.<\/p>\n<p>A series of questions followed, with co-workers quizzed on whether the agent under investigation had: \u201cVocalize[d] support for President Trump?\u201d \u201cVocalized objection to COVID-19 vaccination?\u201d \u201cVocalized intent to attend 1\/6\/2021?\u201d The FBI Security Division also required co-workers to state whether they were aware the target of the investigation had attended the Richmond Lobby Day event, which is an <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/virginia-legislature-general-assembly-lobby-day-db6412c3d7f8147637c0fad087d7241f\">annual<\/a> Second Amendment rally in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>The Empower Oversight letter stressed the impropriety of these questions by quoting the Supreme Court\u2019s pronouncement: \u201cIf there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Further, as the high court has held, \u201cthe First Amendment protects political association as well as political expression,\u201d and such protections display our \u201cprofound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0e9a71110bb9a06446cd35daa155948b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0e9a71110bb9a06446cd35daa155948b\"><\/div>\n<p>That the FBI Security Division had a preprinted form used to interview employees about their co-worker\u2019s views about Trump and the COVID shot, as well as that co-worker\u2019s attendance at political events, represents a repulsive infringement on the rights of citizens. <\/p>\n<p>It is one thing to determine if the agent under investigation had breached the Capitol, committed any crimes, or advocated for others to engage in illegal acts. But none of the questions posed had anything to do with those legitimate issues.<\/p>\n<p>The whistleblower\u2019s lawyers stress that point in their letter to the inspector general, writing that the FBI \u201chas legitimate reasons to revoke the security clearances of employees who engage in or support unlawful acts, particularly those designed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.\u201d They continued, \u201cBut our client did not do any of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yet the FBI revoked the agent\u2019s security clearance and questioned his or her co-workers about the suspended agent\u2019s views on political matters. It\u2019s disturbing enough that the FBI apparently believes those who favor Trump or support the Second Amendment represent a security risk, but by focusing on an agent\u2019s position on COVID vaccinations, the bureau has exposed its true agenda: to weed out anyone with \u201cwrongthink.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3446adb0a9a506ed95dde6861f166da1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3446adb0a9a506ed95dde6861f166da1\"><\/div>\n<p>And it worked: In this case, the agent retired rather than remain suspended without pay. He nonetheless hopes to regain his clearance, which would allow for other career opportunities. The whistleblower\u2019s complaint, however, seeks something more: for the inspector general\u2019s office to investigate the FBI\u2019s apparent methodical abuse of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-considers-repatriating-afghan-evacuees-who-fail-vetting-process\/\" title=\"U.S. Considers Repatriating Afghan Evacuees Who Fail Vetting Process\">security clearance process<\/a> in violation of the First Amendment to determine the scope of the abuses and the individuals responsible.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a00777d7875e1e7829cc6fd614d92145 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a00777d7875e1e7829cc6fd614d92145\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to whistleblower disclosures to the DOJ&#8217;s Office of Inspector General, the FBI Security Division interrogated employees about another agent\u2019s opinions on COVID vaccines, Donald Trump, and a Second Amendment rally. This revelation heightens concerns about the FBI\u2019s leadership being overly politicized and attempting to cleanse itself<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":499,"featured_media":2264653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FBI-Badge-and-Gun.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2264652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FBI-Badge-and-Gun.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/499"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2264652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2264653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2264652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2264652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2264652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}