A letter from Senator Chuck Grassley to Attorney General Merrick Garland asks the Department of Justice not to interfere with whistleblowers.
Garland's memo to DOJ employees on Aug. 30 prompted Grassley's letter. Employees were instructed not to communicate directly with Congress. A DOJ office called Legislative Affairs is the only way for employees to communicate with Congress. Whistleblowers act as a vital tool in exposing improper conduct by the Department of Justice and its components, like the FBI, according to Grassley's letter, dated Sept. 1.
“Even with your whistleblower caveats, and due to the timing of your memo, I remain concerned about the chilling effect it may have on whistleblowers who wish to approach Congress with information relating to fraud, waste, abuse, and gross mismanagement.”
Under Garland's leadership, Grassley criticized the DOJ and FBI for not responding to congressional oversight requests. As the senator wrote in the letter, whistleblowers often inform Congress and the public of the types of wrongdoing that your memo seeks to prevent.
2 September 2022
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