News ‘Total Vindication’ for FBI Whistleblower Who Questioned Wray’s Narrative on Jan. 6
The FBI has reinstated the security clearance of a whistleblower who questioned the narrative about confidential informants and the Capitol riot, and who said that Director Christopher Wray was not truthful. Marcus Allen, an FBI staff operations specialist who was suspended without pay for two years, dropped his retaliation complaint against the FBI in a letter Tuesday to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz. But Allen asked Horowitz to release additional information for Congress to review.
Allen testified in May 2023 before the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The news comes days after a settlement in which Allen resigned and the FBI agreed to reinstate his security clearance and allow back pay during his suspension. During the suspension, the FBI had refused to provide him with the documentation necessary for other employment, Allen testified to House lawmakers. “This is a total vindication for Marcus [Allen]. In what appears to be an unprecedented move, the FBI has completely backed down and provided everything that we had asked for on behalf of Marcus,” Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, a whistleblower advocacy group that represents Allen, said in a written statement. Empower Oversight filed Allen’s appeal in October 2023 based on evidence contradicting the FBI’s claims from its own files. “Right finally won one, and we couldn’t be happier for Marcus and his family,” Leavitt said. “They have seen the worst side of our federal government and have come out on the other side. It’s a testament to Marcus, his belief that right would eventually prevail, and the unwavering support of his family and friends.” In a letter Tuesday to the DOJ’s Horowitz, Leavitt called the bureau’s May 31 decision to reinstate Allen’s security clearance a vindication.
“While I feel vindicated now in getting back my security clearance, it is sad that in the country I fought for as a Marine, the FBI was allowed to lie about my loyalty to the U.S. for two years,” Allen said in a public statement. “Unless there is accountability, it will keep happening to others,” he said. “Better oversight and changes to security clearance laws are key to stop abuses suffered by whistleblowers like me.”
Allen was the 2019 employee of the year in the FBI’s field office in Charlotte, North Carolina. During congressional testimony in 2022, Wray was less than clear about whether confidential informants mingled with rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
During the hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., asked Allen: “Is it your belief that you were retaliated against because you shared an email that questioned the truthfulness of FBI Director Christopher Wray?” Allen replied, “Yes, sir.”
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