Over 600 FBI Employees Avoided Disciplinary Action For Sexual Misconduct By Quitting: Senator

At least 665 FBI employees accused of sexual misconduct avoided punishment by quitting their jobs between 2004 and 2020, alleged Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, citing whistleblower records from the Department of Justice (DoJ).

One document from DoJ's Office of Disciplinary Appeals, titled "Retirements and Resignations During Unwelcome Sexual Conduct Adjudications," revealed that "665 FBI employees, including 45 [Senior Executive Services (SES] – level employees have retired or resigned following an FBI or [Justice Department Office of Inspector General (OIG)] investigation into alleged misconduct, but prior to [the Office of Professional Responsibility's (OPR)] issuance of a final disciplinary letter," Grassley's office revealed in a press release Thursday.

A second document, titled "Inconsistent Adjudication of Non-Consensual Sexual Misconduct," reportedly questioned the possibility of a compromised disciplinary system in the FBI.

The senator's office said the document provided details about how the FBI utilized various "codes to classify sexual misconduct by employees, resulting in disparate penalties for similar misconduct."

The internal records "show a systemic failure within the Justice Department and FBI to protect female employees from sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace and a failure to sufficiently punish employees for that same misconduct," noted Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a letter to DOJ chief Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Grassley tweeted that the whistleblower disclosures showed senior employees can "get away" with their actions and still get bonuses. He also asked when FBI Director Christopher A. Wray would clean up his agency.

Following Grassley's tweet, some users pointed out that the FBI has long been on the road to destruction.

One user said the FBI "has been broken" since the alleged abuses of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover were publicized. Hoover was exposed after burglars stole internal FBI documents and released them to the media in March 1971.

Another user called Wray a "disgrace" to the agency and said he should be removed from his position before any internal clean-up.

People also pointed out that the senate should do something or try to address lapses in the DOJ and FBI's handling of sexual misconduct cases in the workplace.

In 2020, a scathing investigation by the Associated Press revealed that at least six sexual misconduct allegations against senior FBI officials were reported from 2015 to 2020.

The FBI at the time said it "maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment," adding that criminal charges will be filed after the agency's disciplinary process determines the severity of the allegations.