A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) whistleblower and Army veteran claims working conditions at the government agency under former President Joe Biden were comparable to his time serving in Iraq, after he blew the lid off allegations of rampant misconduct within the bureau.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) detailed the alleged “sustained retaliation” campaign against whistleblower Afolabi Siwajuola in a letter to ATF Acting Director Daniel Driscoll and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday, demanding that “all those who participated in or directed the retaliation” against the current agency employee be held accountable.
In 2021, Siwajuola’s protected whistleblower disclosures to Grassley’s office revealed claims that Biden-era ATF officials engaged in an illegal scheme to misclassify human resources and other administrative positions as law enforcement ones – effectively making pencil pushers eligible for greater pay and benefits.
Siwajuola’s allegations of misconduct were substantiated by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and ATF’s internal affairs division, with OPM estimating that the scheme cost taxpayers at least $20 million over a five-year period.
But rather than being celebrated within the agency, Siwajuola was shunned, admonished and even threatened with physical harm by ATF officials, according to Grassley’s letter.
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