Comer Investigates TSA’s Pattern of Retaliation Against Whistleblowers Who Expose Waste and Abuse

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is opening a probe into the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) after TSA officials retaliated against whistleblowers attempting to expose waste and abuse at the agency. In a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, the Chairman requests documents and communications and a staff-level briefing to better understand TSA’s use of resources and whether it is retaliating against whistleblowers.

“I write with deep concern that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are continuing a pattern of retaliation against whistleblowers attempting to expose waste and abuse at the agency,” said Chairman Comer. “Most recently, Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS) employees made protected whistleblower disclosures revealing that FAMS wasted resources and abused its authority by assigning air marshals to surveil the spouse of a Federal Air Marshal and a former U.S. Member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard. These alleged assignments are coming at a time of heightened concerns of potential terrorist attacks against the United States. Instead of holding officials accountable for this misconduct, it now appears that the whistleblowers have been targets of a ‘retaliatory investigation’ by leadership at TSA for their protected disclosures.”

In July 2021, a FAMS whistleblower made a protected disclosure to Congress alleging his wife had been improperly labeled a domestic terrorist and targeted for attending President Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech at the ellipse in Washington, D.C. More recently, whistleblowers at FAMS revealed TSA has also improperly targeted former U.S. Representative and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard under the “Quiet Skies” program.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, TSA is struggling to fulfill its mission. From FAMs being forced to detail on the southwest border to process and provide services to illegal border crossers, to tailing American citizens and public figures, to retaliating against whistleblowers for their protected disclosures, there is something wrong at TSA under the Biden-Harris Administration,” continued Chairman Comer.“To assist the Committee in its investigation of TSA’s use of resources in FAMS and possible retaliation by TSA against whistleblowers, please provide the following documents and information, covering the time period January 6, 2021, to the present unless otherwise indicated, as soon as possible but no later than September 6, 2024.

Read the letter to TSA Administrator Pekoske here.