FBI Whistleblowers Speak Out Against Senate Bill 372
Washington, D.C. March 3, 2010. Nationally recognized FBI whistleblower Dr. Frederic Whitehurst issued a letter today strongly opposing the repeal of FBI whistleblower rights contained in the current Senate version of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (S. 372). This bill is currently being "hotlined" for unanimous consent.
In the 1990's Dr. Whitehurst blew the whistle on scientific abuses in the FBI crime lab. He won his cases and as a result, President Clinton signed an order protecting FBI agents who blow the whistle. The current Senate bill repeals the Clinton order and the law it was based on. It will result in the dismissal of numerous pending whistleblower cases, including that of FBI Counterterrorism Unit Chief Bassem Youssef.
Dr. Whitehurst wrote:
"Like most Americans I was looking forward to seeing President Obama and Congress fulfill their promise to strengthen these whistleblower rights that protect Americans. However, I was horrified to discover that the Senate whistleblower bill does not do this. For national security whistleblowers it does the exact opposite. S. 372 repeals the FBI whistleblower protections that I sacrificed my career for."
Dr. Whitehurst's letter comes shortly after two other FBI whistleblowers, Jane Turner and Sibel Edmonds, issued a similar plea that the Senate bill be fixed.
Jane Turner was a 25-year veteran Special Agent who was fired after she complained that FBI agents had stolen "souvenirs" from the 9/11-crime scene. Her case, currently pending under the current FBI whistleblower law, would be dismissed if the S. 372 were signed into law.
Sibel Edmonds worked for the FBI as a translator. She identified about major problems within the FBI's post-9/11 translation program. In a case filed under the current FBI whistleblower law the Inspector General issued a report vindicating her allegations. Under S. 372, the Inspector General would lose jurisdiction to conduct similar investigations.
