>> as you look up in new hampshire, reminds you of summer and our own summer concert series kicks off a week from tomorrow with three doors down. you can listen right there. he will join us, too. >> i remember todd, i saw you jumping all over the stage. >> bill: the hits keep coming for the f.b.i. right now. you are looking live on capitol hill inside a hearing room where while we're only 72 hours removed from the durham report. several whistleblowers are about to testify before congress. it could be explosive. we'll watch it together. good morning. it's thursday, live in new york city i'm bill hemmer. >> dana: i'm dana perino and this is "america's newsroom." you'll see two different realities collide at this hearing. the weaponization of government subcommittee touting the witnesses of proof of what it

calls institutional rot and conservative bias as well. the f.b.i. recently revoked two of the witnesses' security clearances. >> the bureau refact clearances. democrats expected to pounce. last hour we heard this in a moment. >> dana: all this after the durham report found the f.b.i. was biased against president trump. jordan says it's part of a larger problem. >> politics is driving the agenda in far too many federal agencies. read the durham report from a couple of days ago where they outline where you had the f.b.i. and the justice department start an investigation with no predicate. if you are a parent attending a school board meeting, a pro-lifeer praying at a clinic or a catholic simply going to mass you are a target of the government. target of the f.b.i.

if you're one of these folks willing to come forward and talk about what's going on out there, you get attacked. they will try to crush you. >> bill: that was a preview. we heard it an hour ago. david spunt at the justice department kicks it off. what more do we expect, david? >> just received opening statements. i want to read excerpts from two of the whistleblowers. i obtained a letter from the f.b.i. explaining why these two had their security clearances revoked as we wait for the hearing. markus allen is the first one served in the marine corps and has been retaliated against and suspended without pay for more than a year. despite my history of unblemished service to the united states the f.b.i. suspended my security clearance. this accusation the based on unsubstantiated accusations that i hold conspiratorall reviews on jan six and sympathize with --

the f.b.i. said he failed to provide information to subjects involved, allegedly involved if criminal activity at the u.s. capitol an january 6, 2021. steven friend, another witness. he says you may think i'm a political partisan or conspiracy theorist. it doesn't matter. this committee should avoid the temptation to impugn the character and motivations of the messenger seated before you. the f.b.i. says on september 3, 2022, mr. friend entered f.b.i. space and downloaded documents from f.b.i. computer systems to an unauthorized removable flash drive and they made him attend a security awareness briefing but he refused to do so. there are other witnesses that will be there today but not mentioned in the f.b.i. letter as we await this hearing to kick off it looks like any moment from jim jordan. >> bill: stand by. d.o.j. back to you shortly. jim jordan is in the room so

this should start any minute. >> dana: the ranking chair there from the virgin islands talking to dan goldman, a new congressman from new york. they will -- there will be strong cases to be made on both sides. >> bill: one of the headlines from last hour when they talked about parents and politicians and ordinary citizens. you could be a target of the f.b.i. they say. andy mccarthy is riding shotgun as we wait for this to begin. what's the intent and what does it reveal? >> well, there is clearly a problem at the f.b.i. the durham report makes that very clear and the question i guess is, is this such institutional rot that we're at a point where it's irrep able under this leadership team or are we talking like a few bad apples who they purged some of and need to do some more work

on? and that's what i think we need to get to the bottom of. >> bill: the letter -- i should say the email that went out on the release for this says one whistleblower characterized the current state of the f.b.i. as canserous as a bureau has let itself become involved in weaponization and politization and how f.b.i. leaders pressured agents to deem cases domestic violence extremism and that's a point or some of them they're about to make here. >> i think a lot of what's gone on that's been abusive is the placing of the law enforcement and intelligence apparatus of the government in the service of the democratic progressive agenda and there is a lot of evidence of that. this business of changing cases to domestic terrorism cases

under circumstances where they were trying to say based on january 6th and even before january 6th in some ways that domestic terrorism by white supremacists wink, wink, trump supporters, was the biggest problem in the country. it is very problematic if the f.b.i. is being put in the service of a political agenda. >> dana: i have a question, andy. you see the f.b.i. statement that they say one of the whistleblowers downloaded information from one computer onto a floppy disk that was not allowed and he had to take a security briefing because of that. i don't know the details. would any members of congress have more details on that or are they dealing with the basic information that we have that the f.b.i. sent? >> i would think, dana, that members of congress have had access to the actual witness especially if this agent is going to testify. though should have been able to ask him what it's all about.

people should know there is classified information and law enforcement sensitive information and they are supposed to be handled carefully. >> bill: thank you, andy. let's drop in and see what we get. >> we welcome everyone to today's hearing on the weaponization of the federal government. the chair recognizes the gentleman from the great state of utah to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indi visible, with liberty and justice for all. >> chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement. politics is driving the agenda in federal agencies. if you don't believe me read the durham report from three days ago. no probable cause, no predicate,

no evidence whatsoever but the f.b.i. opened a case, took a dossier they knew was false from a political campaign from the clinton campaign to spy on a presidential candidate, and american citizens. the key line from the durham report quote, the f.b.i. failed to uphold their mission of fidelity to the law. they didn't follow the law. didn't have probable cause or evidence to do what they did. an agency focused on politics. but i would argue today it's even worse. today it's not just presidential campaigns, today it's the american people. they are the target. you don't -- you're not politically correct or what they think should be the proper position, you are the target. parents attending a school board meeting. pro-lifeers playing at a clinic or catholics simply attending mass, you could be a target.

maybe what's just as frightening is if you are one of the good employees in our government who come forward to talk about the targeting, you then become a target. you face retaliation. if you're one of those -- i think there are thousands of good employees working across our country in the f.b.i. and other agencies. if you are one of those good employees driven by your commitment to the constitution and your conscience and you come forward, they will come after you. you come forward and tell us about the radical traditional catholic memo, you come forward and tell us about this idea they are create some snitch line to report on parents going to school board meetings. you do that, they will try to crush you and retaliate against you. they are coming after you. but these guys today were brave enough, they took their eighth seriously, they believe in the constitution, the bill of rights, and the rule of law and they came forward. i want to thank them for doing it. because they did, man, oh man,

have they faced retaliation. mr. oh boil was selected for a new unit. moved his family from kansas to virginia and the first day he arrives here after being selected for this new unit, serving in our military, serving well in the f.b.i. with first day he arrives here they tell him his clean answer is suspended. can't get his belongings family and his clothes, four kids and a two week old newborn. mr. friend raised concerns about using a swat team to arrest someone willing to turn themselves in. the f.b.i. takes his clearance. wouldn't let him get access to his firearms training records. which he needs to get employment. mr. oh boyle has gone 200 some days not getting paid and mr. all en 450 days without getting

paid. mr. allen lost his clearance for doing his job. compiling case-related resource using open source materials and passing them on to the people working the case and they didn't like some of the material he passed on. 450 days without pay. and the retaliation isn't limited to the f.b.i. democrats on this committee also engaged in it. they leaked parts of these guys' interviews to the press, press reported on it and then the press had to issue corrections. the "washington post", "new york times," rolling stone because what the democrats told them wasn't accurate. what they reported wasn't accurate. mr. allen would only let republicans talk to him. he said i've seen what's going on. i want to be able to provide with the republicans. we talked to over two dozen whistleblowers and today three of those brave whistleblowers

and a lawyer who represents them will tell us their story. they will tell us what happened. what they saw and then what happened to them because they were courageous enough to report it to congress. get ready, get ready. these guys will come after you. you know they are. last hearing we had, last hearing we had, we had two journalists, democrats, two democrat journalists sit where you guys did and they tried to get them to divulge their sources. someone needs to tell them how the first amendment works. mr. taibbi, sitting where you are sitting guess what else was happening in the i.r.s. was knocking on his door. get ready. but i know you are up to the task. you came forward in the first place. thank you for your commitment to the constitution, the first amendment, the rule of law, and for your willingness to come forward and tell congress what you've seen, what you've

witnessed, thank you for doing that. mr. leavitt, thank you for representing them. we appreciate that. now to the ranking member for an opening statement. >> thank you, mr. chair and good morning. today is our fourth hearing in this select committee. in our previous three hearings, we've heard my republican colleagues and witnesses downplay the danger of extremism in america. suggesting that the 2020 election was stolen, claimed that january 6th was anything other than an attempted insurrection. anything other than domestic terrorism. from what i can glean about today's hearing, i will say glean because my republican colleagues don't really want us to work together. they give us the bare minimum notice for hearings. no subject indicated, we learn who the hearing witnesses is

from british tabloids. that's not normal in the house of representatives. one must wonder, are republicans scared of giving us the information so that we can do our own due diligence on these conspiracy theories, these ideas that they want to put forward? indeed, today's hearing will be more of the same. perhaps they're too far gone to realize that in fact this hearing is evidence. as if we needed anymore, that maga republicans are a threat to the rule of law in america. less than two months ago former president trump, facing mounting investigations into his many alleged crimes, declared that, quote, republicans in congress should defund the d.o.j. and the f.b.i. until they can come to their senses. and we all know that when trump says jump, the republicans in

the house say how high. so here we are, on police week, watching house republicans jump to lay the foundation to defund law enforcement. my colleagues on the far right are on a mission to attack, discredit, and ultimately dismantle the f.b.i. this is defund the police on steroids. as part of their mission, my colleagues have brought in these former agents, men who lost their security clearances, because they were a threat to our national security. who out of malice or ignorance or both have put partisan agenda above the oath they swore to serve this country and protect its national security. it is everyday american taxpayer who is bearing the burden of this circus-like hearing. a year ago republicans promised if they won control of congress,

they would focus on kitchen table issues like bringing down inflation. now we have a bait and switch. instead of trying to make their constituents' lives better they are wasting time and taxpayer dollars on endless, fruitless, string of partisan investigations. instead of working to make america more secure, they are manufacturing opportunities to attack law enforcement agencies, even and especially on the same week that we are remembering those law enforcement personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. we're assembled today to hear conspiracy theories on speculations and actions and events taken far out of context. when they lack support for a baseless allegation, get this, my republican friends will cite the absence of evidence of evidence of a cover-up.

and any suggestion that chairman jordan's witnesses are anything but victims under an oppressive government will be met with mock outrage. so what we all know what we're about to see, the real question, the real thing that americans need to be focused on, is why? my republican colleagues would like me and others to believe that they've suddenly found religion when it comes to misconduct in law enforcement. give me a break. when the f.b.i. is rifling through personal correspondence of people of color, when law enforcement tries to push policies to limit the freedom of people practicing a different religion, or unjustly pursuing people in cars who look like casteel or my children or just going about their business or breaking down the doors of people's home like briann yeah

taylor do you think my republican colleagues care about that? they don't bat an eye. but when the f.b.i. investigates conservative christian white men who are actually threatening violence, suddenly my republican colleagues are rushing to defund the police. the reason we're here today is because chairman jordan wants to make america trump again. my republican colleagues aren't here representing their constituents, not my constituents, they're representing donald trump. they are acting as his defense attorney, his campaign operative, and everything in between. this committee, this select committee is a clearinghouse for testing conspiracy theories for donald trump to use in his 2024 presidential campaign. what's clear from these hearings is that donald trump knows just as well as i do that the danger to him and his maga movement is

the rule of law. that's why this committee is working so hard to undermine the rule of law. that's why donald trump asked jordan and others on this committee to waste our time and taxpayer money, as the speaker of the house to attack the manhattan district attorney for the audacity to indict the former president on fraud. that's why this committee hasn't given up its stolen election talking points. and now here we are today going after the f.b.i. on donald trump's behalf. this is not a committee on the weaponization of government, this is a committee for the weaponization of government. this select committee is clearly focused on undermining law enforcement so extremists can undermine our elections through corruption and control our

government through threats of political violence. i hope democrats, as well as republicans, watch and listen this morning because this hearing will demonstrate far better than any opening statement ever could that outside of washington, the real divide in america is not between democrats and republicans, it is between people who love this country, who believe in the rule of law, who want to follow the law, and those who will fight to make our union more perfect, and the people who want to tear down the rule of law and betray our constitution for personal, as well as political, gain. i yield back. >> without objection all of the opening statements will be included in the record. we'll now introduce today's witnesses. mr. o boyle is a whistleblower.

prior to becoming an f.b.i. agent he served our nation as an infantry man in the army for six years. he was deployed to both iraq and afghanistan and received numerous service awards including the combat badge. he received an honorable discharge from the army. upon leaving, he continued his commitment to public service. serving as a police officer in waukesha, wisconsin for four years. he joined the f.b.i. in 2018 as an f.b.i. agent. he was selected to serve on the joint terrorism task force and swat team. he graduated cum laude from marquette university with a degree in criminology and law studies. the f.b.i. questions his loyalty to the constitution and to our country. mr. friend is a whistleblower f.b.i. special agent most recently in the daytona beach agency of the jacksonville field office. prior to becoming an f.b.i. agent in 2014 he served as a

police officer in savannah, georgia and as an f.b.i. agent mr. friend spent seven years working human trafficking investigations and investigating crimes against children. prior to blowing the whistle in 2022 mr. friend had received several awards from the f.b.i. for his performance. mr. friend is a graduate of the university of notre dame and again after this service to our country, the f.b.i. questions his loyalty to the country. mr. allen is a whistleblower and staff operation special with the f.b.i. charlotte field office. he served 20 years of experience as an intelligence professional in the f.b.i. and united states armed services. prior to joining the f.b.i. mr. allen served in the united states marine corps including service in iraq, kuwait and japan. in the marines he received several awards including the navy and marine corps come pendation medal.

they f.b.i. is questioning his commitment to our country. prior to blowing the whistle he received several awards from the f.b.i. selected as employee of the year in 2019. mr. allen hold of bachelor of arts degree from american military university. mr. leavitt, he is an attorney and president of empower oversight. an organization dedicated to enhancing independent overside of government and corporate wrongdoing. mr. levet was a senate confirmed member of the united states merit system protection board. mr. leavitt served as deputy special counsel that enforces federal whistleblower laws. he was a counsel for senator grassley on the judiciary committee and staff. a graduate of brigham young yurt and george town university law

center and expert on whistleblower law. the f.b.i. hasn't questioned his loyalty to the country as far as i know. we welcome our witnesses and thank them for appearing today. would you please stand and raise your right hand as we swear you in. do you swear or affirm under penalty or perjury that the testimony you are about to give is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, information and belief so help you god. let the record show each witness answered in the affirmative. thank you, please be seated. please know your written testimony is entered into the record in its entirety and summarize your testimony and we'll give you plenty of time. if you can keep it around five, great but over no worries there. we'll start with mr. o boyle, you're recognized for your opening statement. >> chairman jordan, members of the committee. thank you for addressing f.b.i. malfeasance and allowing me to

speak today. aside from that point of gratitude i'm sad, disappointed, and i'm angry that i have to be here to testify about the weaponization of the f.b.i. and d.o.j. weaponization against not only its own employees but against the institution and individuals that are supposed to protect the american people. i'm here today even though i'm wrongfully suspended from the f.b.i. i remain duty bound to play my small role in rectifying these issues. after all, i never swore an oath to the f.b.i. i swore an oath to the constitution. i served my nation in community my entire adult life. in the army, police officer and lastly as an f.b.i. special agent. shortly after high school i joined the united states army where i served in the en fran tee and quickly promoted through the ranks. i deployed to afghanistan and iraq. i served in the historic 101st airborne division and received the combat infantryman's badge who engage in ground combat with

our nation's enemies. the armies motto is this will defend. i volunteered to serve this nation to protect america and her values. some of the best men and women this country has to offer come from all backgrounds, races, creeds. they help mold me into the person i am today. each was willing to sacrifice, and many did, to protect this great nation. it is our duty to honor their sacrifices by standing up for what is right regardless of the difficulty. after serving in the army i became a police officer. police officers like me are imperfect but strive to uphold the law and constitution. people who go to work every day trying to make communities better but are faced with budget cuts and calls for defunding as we spiral away from law and order as a nation. while serving as a police officer i finished my graduate degree. shortly there after i began the long road to becoming an f.b.i. special agent.

a position i once understood to be the pinnacle of law enforcement and a way to continue to serve this nation and protect and defend the constitution. during my four years as a special agent i received the highest annual review an employee can received. volunteered and selected for an f.b.i. swat team and selected for a new unit the f.b.i. created and received an award for my work. i have been smeared. this smear is a stark contrast to my life in public service. it is unsurprising. despite our oath to uphold the constitution too many in the f.b.i. aren't willing to sacrifice for the hard right over the easy wrong. they see what becomes of whistleblowers. how the f.b.i. destroys their careers, suspends them under false pretenses, takes security clearance and pay without recourse or remedy. it is by design and creates an atmosphere that silences opposition and discussion.

we know what is right but we too often refuse to do what is right because of the difficulty and suffering it occurs. i couldn't continue on this path without speaking out against the weaponization i witnessed even it if meant losing my job, career, livelihood. family home and now my an an im tee. it is up to this committee. and all americans to insure the weaponization of our government against our people comes to an end. as james madison opined, if framing a government which is to be administered by men over men the great difficulty lies in this. must first enable to government to control the governed and oblige it to control itself. the f.b.i. must be reworked to protect whistleblowers and others who are inappropriately targeted. the f.b.i. can extract anything knee want from me. i swore to defend this country

even if it means sacrificing my life. i first enlisted in the army consistently saying here am i, send me. it did not include sacrificing the hopes, dreams and livelihood of my family. my strong, beautiful and courageous wife and four sweet and beautiful daughters who have endured this process along with me. the f.b.i. allowed me to except orders to a position halfway across the country. allowed us to sell my family home and ordered me to report to the new unit when our youngest daughter was two weeks old. on my first day on the new assignment they suspended me. rendering my family homeless. they refused to release our goods, including our clothes for weeks. all i wanted to do was serve my country protecting the innocent. bad guys have become running parts of the government making it -- i for one will never stop trying and never forget my oath. thank you.

>> thank you, god bless you. mr. friend. your opening statement. >> thank you, chairman jordan and members of the committee. i'm steven friend, a senior fellow for the center for -- i was a special agent for the f.b.i. for 8 1/2 years. i investigated 200 violent crimes, aggravated assault, murder, child abuse, rape, robbery, child molest titian, child pornography and human trafficking and served five years on an f.b.i. swat team and spent five years as a local officer in georgia. in august of 2022 i made protected whistleblowers disclosure to my supervisors and special agent in charge about my concern about january 6th investigations. i believed our departures from case management rules in the domestic investigations guide

could have undermined potentially righteous prosecutions and part of an effort to inflate f.b.i. statistic and voiced concerns that the use of swat in large scale arrest op rehenss to apprehend suspects accused of non-violent crime and pledged to cooperate in the event of criminal charges created an unnecessary risk to f.b.i. personnel and public safety. at each level leadership cautioned whistle blowing placed my future with the f.b.i. at risk. special agents take an oath to protect the u.s. constitution. the dangers of federal law enforcement overreach were hammered home to me when i was required to attend trainings at the holocaust memorial museum and mlk memorial. i cited my oath and training in my conversations with my suber viceors. the f.b.i. weaponized the security clearance processes to

remove me from active duty. an unpaid suspension they initiated a campaign of pressure to resign. in violation of hipaa, individuals at the f.b.i. leaked my private medical information to a reporter at the "new york times." in violation of the privacy act the f.b.i. refused to give me my training records. to date they only provided a portion of the records essential to obtaining firearms licenses in the state of florida. after releasing some of the records the f.b.i. refuses to confirm their legitimacy to the florida department of agriculture rendering the few documents they have provided practically useless. the f.b.i. denied my request to seek outside employment in an attempt to deprive me of the ability to support my family. the f.b.i. inspection division imposed an illegal gag order to keep mow from communicating. working as an f.b.i. special agent was my dream job. my whistleblower was apolitical

to uphold my oath. they closed ranks and attack the messenger. the f.b.i. is working against the american people and in dire need of drastic reform. the integrated program management system tools to achieve arbitrary statistical accomplishments. mission creep within the national security branch has refocused counter terrorism to political opponents within our borders. the f.b.i. weapon eyess processed crimes and reinterprets laws for prosecutions and persecute its political enemies. intelligence analysis dictates operations turning the f.b.i. into an intelligence agency with a law enforcement capability. f.b.i. collusion with big tech to gather intelligence on american and car target sit

stens. -- f.b.i. informant protocols broken, abusive. the f.b.i. skirts the whistleblower protection act and exploits the revocation process to expel employees. i am pleased to see the weaponization committee is taking testimony from f.b.i. whistleblowers. i would like to take this opportunity to address correspondence recently received by the subcommittee. yesterday may 17, 2023, f.b.i. acting assistant director dunham submitted a letter to the committee. the suspension and revocation of my security clearance. i also received a letter from the f.b.i. executive assistant director yesterday saying my security clearance was revoked. i find the timing of these letters dubious but leave it up to the committee's determination. i would like to address and add context to the portion of mr.

dunham's letter pertaining to my guideline j. mr. dunham is referring to an audio recording i created of my august 23, 2022, meeting with jacksonville special agents. after making protective whistleblower disclosures to my immediate supervisor in august 2022 they summoned me to meeting at at the jacksonville office and told me the meeting was intended to be an opportunity to discuss my concerns. i anticipated the meeting might ultimately lead to my managers attempting to compel me to participate in an activity that placed public safety at risk. i was concerned the agents may threaten adverse actions toward my career as a result of my whistleblower disclosure. prior to the meeting i confirmed a law enforcement exception exists. i record evidence the meeting to memorialize our discussion and my concerns about the f.b.i.'s misconduct.

when i entered the f.b.i. office building the agents were having a private meeting. i waited for them in the conference room. when they entered we all placed our cell phones on the conference table. as an experienced investigator conducted hundreds of recorded interviews, i noted how both agents repeated themselves throughout our discussion and continually insisted i agree to their premise that i was insubordinate and refusing to perform my job. i rebuffed each allegation and said i was fulfilling my oath of office. by making my disclosure and the inappropriate risk to public safety and the aggressive arrest for january 6th suspect. it was my belief our conversation was recorded. in january 2023 i participated in an interview with the f.b.i. security division. i was asked if i recorded my 2022 meeting with the agents. i answered that i had. although it would seem to be an

obvious and natural follow-up. the interviewers did not request a copy of the recording. f.b.i. security division should be gravely concerned if executive managers threaten whistleblowers with adverse actions. i submitted that this omission by the f.b.i. security division solidifies my contention that the agents created their own recording of our meeting. the f.b.i. was not concerned about potential whistleblower retalladegaiation. only interested in learning in these actions were at risk of ex mroesh porsche you are. i pray that all members consider the information and i my fellow whistleblowers present. you may think i'm a political partisan and a grifter. you may think i'm a conspiracy theorist. it doesn't matter. simply put, this committee should avoid the temptation to impugn the character and the motivations of the messengers seated before you. i sacrificed my dream job to share this information with the american people and i humbly ask all the members to do your jobs and consider the merit of what i

have presented. thank you. >> thank you, mr. friend. appreciate your testimony. mr. allen. you are recognized for your opening statement. >> hello. my name is markus allen, a staff operations in the field office. due to retaliation i have been suspended without pay for over a year. thank you to the committee for allowing me time to convey my concerns about the current f.b.i. and particular i'm concerned and i believe this committee should also be concerned about the f.b.i.'s use of the security clearance process to retaliate against whistleblowers. first, 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. i was exposed to liven me fire on numerous occasions even though i served in intelligence

roles. i was awarded the navy and marine corps come pendation medal and achievement medal. i eventually joined the f.b.i. and was employee of the year in 2019 in the charlotte field office. as a holder of a top secret secure clearance since 2001 i've been trusted with the nations greatest secrets. why am i here today? despite my history of unblemished service to the united states the f.b.i. suspended my security clearance accusing me of being disloyal to my country. this insulting accusation is based an unsubstantiated accusations that i hold conspiratorall reviews of the events of january 6, 2021, and i simm agent eyes with criminal conduct. i do not. i was not in washington on january #. played no part in them and 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 6th. as a result, i was accused of promoting conspiratorall views and unreliable information. because i did this, the f.b.i. questioned my allegiance to the united states. since i was suspended, there has been a dearth of communication from the f.b.i. with interactions seemingly only being force owed by actions from my counsel or members of congress. i was not even interviewed by anyone from the f.b.i. until may of 2022. i was suspended in january of 2022. this interaction on the f.b.i. happened happened because of -- the member made statements indicating the f.b.i. was conducting a purge of employees with conservative viewpoints. within hours of the public statements, my counsel received a phone call from the f.b.i. 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 f.b.i. has only stonewalled. i filed a federal civil rights lawsuit which is pending seeking to recover my livelihood and restore my good name. the justice department office of inspector general complaint for misuse of the security clearance process as well as reprisal against me for making a protected disclosure. interestingly enough in the wake of the filing the complaint -- in the wake of filing the complaint i received correspondence from the f.b.i. indicating my clearance had now been form le revoked. this occurred after filing my complaint with the i.g. 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.

only one interview with the f.b.i. which occurred a year ago after apparent prompting from congress. in that interview the investigators towards the end of the interviewed uttered in response, don't sue us. this has been a trying circumstance for me and my family. it has been more than a year since the f.b.i. took my paycheck from me. we've been surviving on early withdrawals from our retirement accounts while the f.b.i. ignored my requests to obtain outside employment during the review of my security clearance. we lost our federal health insurance coverage and no end in sight. i'm hopeful scrutiny from congress and the inspector general will deter the f.b.i. from abusing the security clearance process to retaliate against others the way it has retaliated against me and why i filed a complaint with the i.g. i have a rebuttal if the member

will allow me. thank you. this is the rebuttal of the f.b.i. correspondence recently sent to the committee in reference to my clearance suspension and revelation. kell knee is not a word to be throne around lightly. this is conduct unbecoming of an organization given the public trust. think about that. my treatment without a doubt has sent the chilling effect to what semblance remains of an analytical -- this was not a thorough investigation in my regard. i have not been afforded an opportunity to demend myself or confront the claims made against me. interestingly, the revocation language citing guideline e is the first instance i have ever seen referring to this specific guidance in my case. the claim that i obstructed a lawful investigation is dubious and i don't recall ever being admonished for such an

infraction. and i have no idea what that refers to. this alleged incident did not come up at all during the alleged thorough investigation. again as with guideline e, this is the first appearance of this allegation during this entire ordeal. next i do not recall ever receiving a directive to stop sending information in regards to the 6th. why would you not want anymore information sent to you? furthermore the september 29, 2021, email referred to in the letter is part of a protected disclosure and this correspondence represents documentary evidence of a protected disclosure as a source of retaliation and reprisal. alternative analysis and differing viewpoints may be welcomed even though they may not be acted on by the decision makers. group think shouldn't be in an investigative organization. to shut down differing viewpoints sends a chilling effect aross the workforce and

does not allow for intellectual freedom, vital to any investigative body seeking the truth. it is possible the ire towards my perspective -- instead -- this is the end of my statement. thank you for my time. >> members of the subcommittee. thank you for the invitation to testify. irrelevant serve as the president of empower oversight. honored to represent friend and allen. f.b.i. whistleblowers have second class status compared to those in most federal agencies. congress prohibited retaliation against f.b.i. whistleblowers but gave them none of the process other federal law enforcement agencies received like the d.e.a., a.t. f. u.s. marshals and secret

service. they can all file retaliation complaints. f.b.i. whistleblowers cannot. whistleblowers at those agencies can go to the protection board that i served. until last year f.b.i. whistleblowers could not. they finally got that right in last december's ndaa. congress must insure the new jurisdiction implies to all f.b.i. retaliation cases. many have been wending their way for years through d.o.j.'s long and extensive process. the laws prohibiting retaliation have been on the books the entire time. the f.b.i. can't claim these are new rights because they have to justify their actions before the nspd. time has demonstrated it was a mistake to exclude the f.b.i. from the standard whistleblower protection process and discourages integrity and encourages corruption. congress should treat the f.b.i. the same as all other federal law enforcement agencies giving

its employees act -- the hard working employees of the f.b.i. deserve equal protection of the law. f.b.i.'s latest troubling practice is suspending security clearances to retaliate against whistleblowers. mr. friend and mr. allen and mr. o boil are examples of this trend. when the f.b.i. suspends a clearance it suspends the employee without pay. to make matters worse it holds them and their families hostage by requiring them permission to get another job. the f.b.i. denies this. the f.b.i. needs to stop this abuse. in light of all these obstacles for f.b.i. whistleblowers, you would think congress would do everything that it could to welcome their disclosures here. f.b.i. employees coming to congress have unfortunately been shamefully treated by democrats on this committee. it is one thing to hear allegations and find them unpercent per -- persuasive.

to go out and actively smear individuals making the disclosures is far worse. that's what the democrats on this committee did when they released a march report gop witnesses what their disclosures indicate. it was inaccurate both on the law and the facts. the law doesn't define the term whistleblower. instead it protects from retaliation individuals who engage in protected activity. for over a century simply making disclosures of any information to congress has been a protected activity. furthermore, an appropriations rider in effect at this time prohibits money from paying the salary of any federal employee who prohibits or prevents any other federal employee from communicating with congress. the democrats report denied whistleblower status to individuals engaged in the precise activity the legislative branch has considered protected since 1912. the reports reliance on evidence for whistleblower status is misplaced. simply communicating a reasonable belief of misconduct

is protected whistleblower activity under the law. this applies regardless of whether the whistleblower produces evidence at that time backing up their allegations. only protecting whistleblower disclosures accompanied by conclusive efforts as the democrats seem to require would have disastrous consequences throughout the government. whistleblowers brought allegations and when the committees thought it worthy of follow up. no one expects a private citizen to investigate a crime before going to police. we didn't expect a whistleblower to look at their own agency. the law for recommend he deeing retalltation where working a monday proverb laos allegation leads to discovery, interviews and more. simply put, the burden isn't on the whistleblower. that's why there is an investigative process. democrats' report got the facts wrong. they claim d.o.j. i.g. declined

to investigate mr. friend's claim. they will be interviewing him tomorrow and has an ongoing in investigation. a number of mainstream media sources repeated the democrats' wrong information without bothering the check the facts for themselves and why there were multiple retractions. they should be treated by congress the same as other whistleblowers. the f.b.i. will deter others from taking that same path. congress must have firsthand information about how federal agencies are operating to perform its constitutional duty of oversight. why would future whistleblowers bring disclosures to congress if they think they might be treated like this? it hurts this committee and others and congress as a whole. >> thank you, chairman jordan.

i want to thank our witnesses today for their service to our country, service which includes their willingness to provide protected disclosures to insure that the federal government is held accountable for wrongdoing. we we've heard their testimony and my colleagues will ask more questions to further understand the retaliation and wrongdoing. as this hearing gets underway i want to focus on the cultural changes that have occurred within the f.b.i. over the last 20 plus years. fundamental changes that have led to the political capture of our flagship law enforcement agencies. and with the democrats using these agencies as their own personal political hacks. what happened that allowed for politization to permeate every facet of the f.b.i.? there are many things. i think we must focus on the information that was provided by retired f.b.i. special agent thomas baker who testified before the select subcommittee earlier this year.

mr. baker explained that in the after math of 9/11 and upon being embarrassed by being scolded by president bush to not be able to stop it from happening then f.b.i. director robert mueller made the decision to fundamentally change the f.b.i. from a law enforcement body to an intelligence driven one. such a redirection and the very purpose of the f.b.i. resulted if centralizing its power in washington, d.c. while placing less emphasis on the field offices. changes that replaced agent executives in the headquarters with so-called professionals from the outside and stockpiling more and more power in d.c. and away from the country that it serves. 9/11 was a watershed moment for many reasons. a horrific terrorist attack on the shores of the united states of america. but our government's ultimate response is also tragic and by eventually finding a way to

target not the terrorists, but american citizens, which is where the f.b.i. and d.o.j. are at this point in time. the d.o.j. and f.b.i. have used the fisa court to obtain surveillance authority and targeted political campaigns with which they disagree and created a russia, russia, russia hoax to cripple a duly-elected president and targeted catholics for exercising their faith and targeted parents for wanting to protect their children. what we can say in short is that the eye of soron is turned inward that seeks to destroy everything in its path. what i think we can say is that as the d.o.j. and f.b.i. have become more political, they have amassed more power. as they have amassed more power, they have become more political. this is a vicious cycle that

must be stopped. to be blunt, the leadership of the f.b.i. and the d.o.j. are corrupt. i will name names. christopher wray and merrick garland are corrupt. they know it, we know it, and the american people know it. congress needs whistleblowers like you so that we can conduct our oversight and correct course on these abusive federal agencies. sadly, what we've already seen and what we will continue to see today is that the democrats will not focus on the substance of what these brave men are exposing. or engage in a discussion about how to protect our constitutional rights and institutions from the tyrants that are running these agencies. instead what we will see is they will deflect, call the witnesses

names and scream maga and attempt to impugn your integrity. make no mistake, they are simply trying to cover up the unforgiveable and indefensible. the creation of a two-teared justice system based on political beliefs and the corruption of our political elites. i encourage the american people to listen to these witnesses, to read the durham report, to study what is happening with the f.b.i. and the d.o.j. and to listen and to sift through the lies and recognize that this nonsense must stop or we are going to lose the greatest republic that's ever existed in the history of the world. thank you for your willingness to come here. thank you for your willingness to stand on the law. thank you for your willingness to tell the truth about what these agencies are doing. america thanks you as well.

and with that i yield back. >> bill: the chair recognizes the woman from california. >> as a point of order, i understand and we have been made aware from what you stated in your opening statement as well as in a press conference earlier that mr. allen did meet with you all and might have testimony that was transcribed. neither -- i understand he stated that he did not feel comfortable meeting with the democrats. he is comfortable being here today in this open forum. we will be questioning him. will you give us a copy of that testimony that was transcribed of your discussions with him? >> that will be up to mr. allen. >> you are in possession of them, are you? why would you not give them to us? >> mr. allen didn't want that to happen. >> he is comfortable here in open discussion with us today? >> sure is. ask him questions. >> you don't share your information with the minority?

>> you're not sharing information that you obtained. >> the whistleblower saw what you did with mr. friend and others, the false information you gave to the press. they had to issue corrections. >> the committee decides it not the whistleblower. >> we have decided. mr. allen is here and you can ask him questions and we can talk about the testimony. right now you aren't getting the testimony. >> you will give us the testimony, when, after he left or at no point in time or when will we have that? it's only for the republicans, is that what you are saying? >> mr. chairman, the general lady did not state a point of order. >> the point of order is will he be giving us the testimony of the witness that is here before us? and that you have information of that you are not sharing. >> i move that her -- >> the gentleman is california is more. >> the point of order is i would like the testimony. i move that you give us the

testimony of the individual. >> move to table. >> moved to table. we will call -- >> mr. chairman, we don't have to table. >> mr. chairman, can we have a recorded vote? >> not a proper point of order. >> you did a motion to table. your side did a motion to table. >> not a promotion. the chair has recognized the gentleman lady from california, five minutes of questioning. >> a point of inquiry, can i ask you a question, mr. chairman? can i ask the chairman a question? >> my sanchez. we'll restore the five minutes for ms. sanchez. >> i find it incredible that evidence that one side has garnered is not going to be shared with the other side. i think it's important that we

recognize this hearing for what it actually is. make no mistake, this hearing is a vehicle to legitimize the events of january 6th and the people who perpetrated it. why? because donald trump is running for president again. if you normalize the events of january 6th and repeat his election fraud lies, maybe he doesn't seem quite so extreme and easier to overturn a free and fair election the next time. for those of you who have forgotten, on january 6th a mob of people who believed donald trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen stormed the capitol seeking to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. they erected a gallows on the lawn just outside this room and ran through the halls looking to find and hang the vice president of the united states. it was a shocking moment of political violence and many of us on this dais, including

myself, were there that day and felt the fear of knowing there were people roaming the capitol looking to kill us. but clearly some of us have quickly forgotten that. i have heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest that, quote, the f.b.i. was participating in the insurrection. they called the rioters who attacked the capitol peaceful patriots and political prisoners and they describe the violence on january 6th as akin to a quote, unquote, normal tourist visit. it was not. last year the judiciary committee even had to entertain a resolution on the repeatedly discredited conspiracy theory. mr. allen, your security clearance was first suspended on january 10th, 2022, is that creek? -- correct