Biden ATF promoted agents who knowingly broke federal directives: GOP senators
Two Senate Republicans, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, are demanding immediate corrective action at the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), alleging substantial misconduct, mismanagement, abuse of power, and potential criminal misconduct by agency officials. The senators accuse supervisory staff of disregarding federal directives and standards to inflate their salaries, and claim that instead of facing discipline, these agents were actually promoted under the Biden administration.
The senators’ concerns stem from two internal investigations conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the ATF Internal Affairs Division (IAD). The OPM investigation, which resulted in the suspension of the ATF’s classification authority in 2020, found that agency officials continued to re-classify employees improperly despite directives to the contrary. Grassley and Ernst specifically called out supervisory agents Lisa Boykin and Ralph Bittelari, accusing them of allowing the misclassification scheme to continue and retaliating against whistleblowers who tried to expose it.
One example cited in the senators’ letter involved the relocation of an ATF law enforcement officer to an administrative position in Washington, D.C., despite OPM’s identification of the position as misclassified. The senators allege that Boykin and Bittelari ignored OPM’s directives and moved forward with the unauthorized relocation, with Bittelari even attempting to hide the unlawful assignment by processing the promotion directly to payroll.
In another instance, Bittelari allegedly tried to improperly classify a position as law enforcement, and when a human resources specialist raised concerns, she was threatened with insubordination. The senators also highlighted Boykin’s lack of candor regarding the installation of the chief of ATF’s Workforce Wellness and Services Division, pointing to evidence that she misled investigators about the approval process.
Despite the damning findings of the IAD report, Boykin was promoted to chief diversity officer under Biden, while Bittelari was promoted to senior advisor at the Justice Department’s Justice Management Division. Grassley and Ernst are calling for accountability and corrective action, urging the Justice Department to address the issues raised in the IAD report by May 23.
The senators emphasized that the actions of Boykin and Bittelari constitute gross misconduct and warrant immediate action. They assert that the Biden administration’s failure to hold these individuals accountable for their actions sends the wrong message and undermines the integrity of the ATF and the Justice Department.
In conclusion, Grassley and Ernst are demanding transparency and accountability in addressing the alleged misconduct at the ATF. They are calling for a thorough investigation and appropriate disciplinary measures to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not wasted and that the agency operates with integrity and adherence to federal directives and standards.
