WASHINGTON – A bicameral group of senior lawmakers is calling for an immediate review of reported reprisal against investigators who raised concern about the Hunter Biden investigation. In a letter to the Office of Special Counsel, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Ranking Member Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), cofounder of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), along with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.), House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), outlined the rights and protections provided to whistleblowers under the law.
Two IRS whistleblowers and their investigative team were removed from the Hunter Biden investigation in apparent retaliation for their legally protected communications with Congress. In emails following their disclosures, senior managers failed to properly notify employees of their rights to report wrongdoing to Congress and executive branch authorities.
“The importance of protecting whistleblowers from unlawful retaliation and informing whistleblowers about their rights under the law cannot be understated. After all, it is the law,” the lawmakers wrote.
Federal anti-gag provisions prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to prevent government employees from communicating with Congress or reporting wrongdoing to specific federal agencies. Any effort to enforce a nondisclosure policy that fails to include a disclaimer of whistleblower rights is against the law.
The lawmakers’ letter to the Office of Special Counsel can be found here.