A fight over FBI discipline is turning into a fight over taxpayer money. Rep. Jamie Raskin on Tuesday accused the Justice Department of quietly sending millions of dollars to FBI agents suspended for alleged misconduct—agents who, in several cases, have aligned themselves with Republican claims of political bias at the bureau, per the Washington Post. In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee detailed settlements for five agents totaling more than $230,000 in lump-sum payments, plus hundreds of thousands in back pay, which he called "an astounding and lawless abuse" of taxpayer money.
The list includes an agent present on restricted Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. 2021, another who reportedly refused to investigate a white nationalist group, and two agents, Steven Friend and Garret O'Boyle, who have testified in GOP-led hearings. Raskin says the agents were disciplined "for criminal activity, major breaches of national security," and standards violations, per the Hill, and calls the payments "political handouts." The agents' lawyer, Tristan Leavitt of Empower Oversight, rejects that, saying they are whistleblowers and that it's routine for federal agencies to settle complaints. The clash comes as DOJ also cuts seven-figure checks to Trump allies including Carter Page and Michael Flynn, and as other former FBI officials sue over what they describe as politically driven firings.
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