The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), issued a letter today to President Donald Trump requesting that federal employee whistleblowers be fully protected under the laws and constitutional provisions that allow them to report violations of law, fraud, and abuse within the federal government.
In his letter, Grassley said, “It’s important that federal agencies aren’t using this downsizing initiative as an excuse to retaliate against federal workers who have made protected whistleblower disclosures. If that has happened, this would not only be unlawful but also have a severe chilling effect on federal employees who would otherwise blow the whistle.”
Grassley continued and stated that it is “critically important that any individual personnel action and the federal agency’s investigation into allegations of reprisal are fair and comply with constitutional and statutory whistleblower protections.”
Grassley called on the administration to individually review the cases of any impacted federal employees to ensure that terminations or pending terminations are not acts of unlawful retaliation.
“Today’s letter is a major step forward for restoring bipartisan support for whistleblowers who courageously step forward with truthful information about government misconduct, regardless of who sits in the White House,” said Stephen M. Kohn, whistleblower attorney and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Whistleblower Center.
Former FBI Special Agent Jane Turner, who prevailed in two separate whistleblower anti-retaliation cases, stated, “Senator Grassley has been steadfast, loyal, and courageous to whistleblowers for decades, never wavering in his defense of those who speak truth to power. Without Senator Grassley, there would be no effective federal whistleblower protection laws, without whistleblowers there would be no truth.”
“Senator Grassley is the most effective, bipartisan advocate for whistleblowers who has stood behind federal employees’ rights to expose wrongdoing in every presidential administration since he was elected to the Senate in 1981,” said Stephen M. Kohn. “We urge every member of Congress to stand behind Senator Grassley’s request to ensure that every federal employee whistleblower is protected as required under the U.S. Constitution and Whistleblower Protection Act.”
