WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — FBI lacks a process for whistleblowers to address retaliation after they report wrongdoings to supervisors, making them susceptible to further reprisals, according to a report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).
“Unlike employees of other executive branch agencies, FBI employees do not have a process to seek corrective action if they experience retaliation based on a disclosure of wrongdoing to their supervisors or others in their chain of command,” the GAO report, issued on Monday, said.
Dismissing reprisal complaints submitted to supervisors leaves FBI whistleblowers without protection from future retaliation, according to the GAO’s assessment.
The GAO also said it conducted the study because whistleblowers, while helping safeguard the government against waste and fraud, face retaliation by their employers. The report highlighted one example in which an FBI whistleblower suffered retaliation for reporting that fellow agents absconded with items from Ground Zero in the wake of September 11 terrorist attacks. The Justice Department ruled in the whistleblower’s favor, but it took ten years to settle the complaint, the GAO reported.
The GAO asked US Congress to consider revising regulations so that FBI whistleblowers have a means to seek recourse against retaliation for disclosures to people within their chain of command. The watchdog also called on the US Justice Department to correct the faulty grievance process, which puts whistleblowers at risk, the GAO said.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the US federal government spends taxpayer dollars and determines if government policies are meeting objectives.
