FBI agent claims he faced retaliation from bosses after defending a whistleblower

A special agent with the FBI claimed on Thursday that he faced repercussions from high-ranking officials with the bureau after he defended a fellow whistleblower, including by being transferred to another job with the bureau.

The agent said he suggested reinstating former FBI agent Garrett O'Boyle, who has testified in front of Congress to the House Judiciary Committee's panel on the weaponization of the federal government, after he found that the FBI lacked specific evidence to suspend O'Boyle. The special agent's identity has not been disclosed.

O'Boyle was suspended in 2022 for allegedly leaking information about an investigation into Project Veritas. The suspension was without pay, and revoked his security clearance, which left him and his family homeless, according to the Washington Times.

The special agent said that when he investigated O'Boyle's suspension and recommended that he be reinstated, FBI Acting Section Chief Dena Perkins revoked the agent's finding and transferred him. The special agent is reportedly an adjudicator with the bureau's Security Division, known as “SecD.”

A congressional disclosure of the retaliation obtained by the Washington Times also alleged that Perkins had moved other agents that questioned O'Boyle's suspension, and that she refused to address the issue.

“[This] was not the first time. … Ms. Perkins has moved several other employees who report to her for recommending decisions contrary to her interests [and] bases many of her decisions on favoritism," the disclosure read. “Perkins who was the acting [Senior Executive Service] Section Chief in SecD for an extended period of time is considered corrupt and dishonest by FBI employees."

Another disclosure from November revealed that Perkins and FBI supervisory agent Sean Clark were behind O'Boyle's suspension. Clark allegedly bragged that he was going to "screw O'Boyle" even though it had already determined that O'Boyle was not behind any leak to Project Veritas or the press.

“SecD was operating under the theory that O’Boyle had provided the information to another FBI employee who then passed it on to an entity outside the FBI,” the disclosure said. “However, SecD did not conclusively know how the information was passed to Project Veritas or the press.”

O'Boyle has denied the claims that he leaked classified information, and stated that he was "wrongfully suspended from the FBI."