Whistleblower Protection: Additional Actions Needed to Improve DOJ's Handling of FBI Retaliation Complaints
Abstract
Whistleblowers help safeguard the federal government against waste, fraud, and abuse - however, they also risk retaliation by their employers. For example, in 2002, a former FBI agent alleged she suffered retaliation after disclosing that colleagues had stolen items from Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. DOJ found in her favor over 10 years after she reported the retaliation. GAO was asked to review DOJ's process for handling such complaints. GAO examined (1) the time DOJ took to resolve FBI whistleblower retaliation complaints, (2) the extent to which DOJ took steps to resolve complaints more quickly, and (3) the extent to which DOJ complied with certain regulatory reporting requirements. GAO reviewed all DOJ case files for FBI whistleblower retaliation complaints DOJ closed from 2009 to 2013, and interviewed whistleblower attorneys, advocates, and government officials about the complaint process. The interview results are not generalizable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1174877
Entities
People
- Claudia Becker
- David C. Maurer
- Dawn Locke
- Eileen Larence
- Eric Hauswirth
- Erin Mclaughlin
- Jan Montgomery
- Janet Temko-blinder
- Linda Miller
- Michele C. Fejfar
- Signora May
- Susan Hsu
- Tom Lombardi
- Vanessa Dillard
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office