Complete Vindication: ACLJ Client & FBI Whistleblower Garret O’Boyle Receives Massive Settlement From the Trump Administration’s DOJ After the Biden FBI Tried to “Crush” Himhttps://aclj.org/government-corruption/complete-vindication-aclj-client--fbi-whistleblower-garret-oboyle-receives-massive-settlement-from-the-trump-administrations-doj-after-the-biden-fbi-tried-to-crush-himToday marks a watershed moment in the fight for constitutional rights and the protection of government whistleblowers. The ACLJ is proud to announce a complete and total victory for our client, FBI Special Agent Garret O’Boyle, who has been fully vindicated through a comprehensive settlement agreement with the DOJ made possible by President Trump’s Administration and his new leadership at the DOJ and FBI.
The DOJ has agreed to fully restore FBI Special Agent Garret O’Boyle with back pay, benefits, damages, and full reinstatement – including his security clearance – after years of persecution under the Biden Administration.
As we previously explained:
FBI Special Agent Garret O’Boyle has, on numerous occasions, followed federal whistleblower protocols in a lawful manner to expose corruption and deserves the full protection of federal whistleblower statutes and the United States Constitution. You’ll recall that Garret made headlines with his ominous congressional testimony . . . : “The FBI will crush you. This government will crush you and your family if you try to expose the truth about things that they are doing that are wrong. And we are all examples of that.”
In fact, without O’Boyle’s courage and willingness to come forward to Congress, we may never have known that the FBI was weaponizing threat tags to target pro-lifers in the wake of the Dobbs decision . . . that overturned Roe v. Wade. In the face of increasing violence against pro-life Americans and pro-life Pregnancy Resource Centers, Biden’s FBI decided to target peaceful pro-lifers, and it was Special Agent O’Boyle who brought this travesty to light before Congress. ...
...
The settlement agreement with the Trump Administration, signed today, represents nothing short of complete vindication for Agent O’Boyle and validates every legal argument we have made on his behalf since this ordeal began under the previous Administration.
...
The dramatic change in Agent O’Boyle’s journey to justice was only possible thanks to President Trump’s return to office and his commitment to restoring constitutional governance to federal agencies – and appointing leaders who share his commitment to undoing past harms as much as possible. Where the Biden Administration sought to destroy Agent O’Boyle, the Trump Administration has chosen to deliver justice.
...
The settlement agreement represents everything we fought for and demonstrates the stark difference between the Biden and Trump Administrations:
Agent O’Boyle will be reinstated as an FBI Special Agent effective September 26, 2022 – the date of his original suspension under Biden – with his security clearance fully restored, and can return to duty. The FBI will provide complete back pay for the entire period of the Biden-era suspension, including all benefits. He has also been awarded significant damages for what happened to him. All records related to Agent O’Boyle’s removal and any allegations of misconduct from the Biden era will be rescinded and expunged from his personnel file. He will even have opportunities for further advancement. Reinstatement on this level is unprecedented. President Trump’s leadership and the team he appointed deserve high praise and gratitude.
The article is not short, a bit verbose and self-promoting, but it does recount several years of history. How decisive a turnaround this is remains to be seen, but it is for now a reversal in momentum.
There is a broader context:
FBI settles for retaliating against 8 whistleblowers who exposed bureau corruptionhttps://www.theblaze.com/news/fbi-settles-for-retaliating-against-8-whistleblowers-who-exposed-bureau-corruptionThe FBI has signed settlement agreements with Garret O’Boyle, Steve Friend, and six other FBI whistleblowers that will provide them with back pay, lump-sum damage payments, restoration of their security clearances, and, in some of the cases, reinstatement to jobs with the bureau.
O’Boyle and Friend were among eight remaining whistleblowers whose settlements were announced Tuesday by Empower Oversight, which represented the current and former FBI employees in their retaliation cases. Two other settlements were previously announced on Aug. 1 and in 2024 under the Biden administration.
...
“While this reinstatement is a vindication about the retaliation I experienced, the victory will ring hollow if the FBI engages in similar retribution against future whistleblowers,” Friend told Blaze News in a statement. “I pray we see the necessary changes to ensure justice for anyone willing to come forward with reasonable concerns about the agency.” The news of settlements is huge vindication for the FBI whistleblowers, all of whom faced varying types and degrees of retribution for making legally protected disclosures.
Friend refused to take part in an FBI SWAT raid at the home of a misdemeanor Jan. 6 suspect, saying the heavy use of force wasn’t justified in the case. O’Boyle made disclosures on COVID-19 shots and policies, the establishment of a tag for investigating parents who attend local school board meetings, and nearly two dozen other issues.
