After 16 years of service with the FBI, Teresa Tumblin was terminated for speaking up. A long-respected analyst in the Bureau’s National Name Check Program, Tumblin reported internal concerns through official channels. Instead of protection, she faced a years-long campaign of retaliation that cost her job, her pension, and her health insurance.
Now, in a new episode of Whistleblower of the Week, hosted by fellow FBI whistleblower Jane Turner, Tumblin recounts her experience—what she witnessed, why she spoke up, and the heavy toll of doing the right thing inside a system built to silence dissent.
Teresa Tumblin joined the FBI in 2008 and quickly rose through the ranks as a quality assurance reviewer, helping ensure the integrity of name checks tied to national security clearances. For years, her performance was praised. However, in 2016, after raising concerns about questionable management practices and internal policy violations, she became a target of the company.
“I believed the Bureau stood for justice, and that reporting issues internally was part of my duty,” Tumblin says in the podcast. “But once you speak up, the rules change.”
Her work was increasingly scrutinized. Promotions were withheld. She was removed from key duties and eventually placed on a performance improvement plan. In January 2025, Tumblin was terminated, bringing her federal career to an end.
Her experience highlights a sobering reality: even within federal agencies, whistleblowers are often met not with support, but with isolation, retaliation, and career destruction.
Tumblin’s story reflects a painful but common pattern that Turner experiences. A whistleblower herself, Turner exposed the FBI’s mishandling of child abuse cases on Native American reservations and faced her own battles with retaliation.
“Teresa did what we hope every public servant would do—she spoke up when something wasn’t right,” Turner says. “And instead of being heard, she was punished.”
Tumblin’s podcast episode offers an unfiltered look at what it means to blow the whistle in a system that doesn’t always reward truth-telling. It’s a story about courage, loss, and the long road to justice.
Listen Now
You can hear Teresa Tumblin’s full story on the latest episode of Whistleblower of the Week, available on all major platforms. Her unwavering commitment to integrity makes this a must-listen for anyone concerned about accountability, public service, and the treatment of truth-tellers in government.
