Whistleblowers who came forward to share information about "wrongdoing" within the FBI during former President Joe Biden's tenure are asking the bureau, now under the leadership of Kash Patel, to review and resolve their claims of abuses and retaliation during that time.

In early March, Empower Oversight sent a letter to FBI general counsel Samuel Ramer in which he requested assistance to deal with the improper treatment of FBI agents and employees Garret O’Boyle, Marcus Allen, Stephen Friend, Zach Schofftsall, Monica Shillingburg, and Michael Zummer, along with other clients whose names were redacted from the letter.

One of the unnamed clients worked under Peter Strzok, the fired FBI supervisory special agent deeply involved in Crossfire Hurricane.

Some of the agents have been fighting the bureau for years after their security clearances were allegedly stripped and their livelihoods threatened because of their actions.

New regime, new justice?

They are hopeful that the new regime might give them the justice they seek.

“The actions taken against our clients were in reprisal for protected whistleblowing and/or improper targeting because of their political beliefs,” chair and founder of Empower Oversight Jason Foster wrote. “The common theme among most of our clients who had their security clearances suspended and or revoked is the FBI's ability to indefinitely delay the process and financially pressure FBI employees by suspending their pay and blocking their ability to earn a living any other way."

"Most facing that dilemma simply resign with no prospect of a fair process to challenge it, which allows the pattern to repeat without remedy, he added.

Not a full resolution

In some cases, the group claimed, even a settlement from the bureau did not fully resolve the issue.

FBI staff operations specialist Marcus Allen, for example, got a settlement from the bureau for revoking his security clearance and suspending him indefinitely without pay.

His supposed wrongdoing? "Questioning whether Director Wray had testified truthfully to Congress and other allegations based on SOS Allen’s political beliefs and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine," his attorneys said.

Allen, a former Marine, has still not been paid the amount of leave owed, and the bureau still needs to fix his W-2 from that time period, they said.

"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. "Unless there is accountability, it will keep happening to others. Better oversight and changes to security clearance laws are key to stop abuses suffered by whistleblowers like me."

Sounds like the FBI has some fences to mend.

Patel should make this right and show America that the Trump administration values its staff and takes care of them the way it should.