Grassley alleges ATF whistleblower faced threats of harm amid Biden-era retaliation

A whistleblower at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says he faced threats and sustained retaliation after disclosing misconduct within the agency during the Biden era. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to ATF Acting Director Daniel Driscoll and Attorney General Pam Bondi detailing the allegations and calling for accountability for anyone who participated in retaliation against the employee, Afolabi Siwajuola.

Siwajuola's 2021 disclosures to Grassley's office alleged that Biden-era ATF officials had misclassified human resources and other administrative positions as law enforcement roles to grant higher pay and benefits. The Office of Special Counsel, the Office of Personnel Management and ATF's internal affairs division corroborated the misconduct, with OPM estimating the scheme cost taxpayers at least $20 million over five years. Rather than being celebrated, Siwajuola says he was shunned, admonished and even threatened. The FBI opened an investigation in June 2022 into allegations that an ATF special agent threatened him and another whistleblower for exposing the scheme, but the matter was referred back to ATF's internal affairs, which Grassley said never reached out to him to investigate.

Siwajuola says he was retroactively promoted only in name after reaching a settlement with ATF leadership to resolve retaliation claims, and he was then assigned to report to one of the agency officials at the heart of the misclassification scheme. He says Biden-era ATF Director Steven Dettelbach personally ordered officials to find a legal justification to fire him in mid-2022, and that an internal affairs probe opened in 2023 for 'general misconduct' and other allegations. Siwajuola recounts a 'baseless and biased' internal review and says he was demoted, given menial tasks and faced negative performance reviews and isolation from colleagues, all part of a sustained retaliation that has continued after the settlement.

Grassley's letter also cites a Biden-era hiring surge in which ATF allegedly lowered qualifying standards for special agents and investigators and pressured staff to approve applicants with ties to current or former ATF employees. The whistleblower-letter outlines an Aug. 27 interview in which an internal investigator allegedly pressed Siwajuola on his national origin and political beliefs, and asked whether he supported abolishing the ATF or dismantling the agency.

Siwajuola told Grassley's office that the retaliation has taken a toll on him and his family and compared the experience to conditions he faced in combat zones as a U.S. Army veteran. He said that while serving in Iraq he trusted his fellow soldiers and leadership to have his back, whereas at the ATF he felt targeted by leadership. He told Grassley's staff that the atmosphere of threats and retaliation was as severe as, or worse than, fighting in Baghdad.

In the letter, Grassley urged Driscoll to immediately stop retaliation against Siwajuola, to place him in the position he would have held absent retaliation, and to launch a full, fair investigation of all whistleblower retaliation allegations and misconduct claims, including the alleged threats. He said if the allegations are proven true, those who participated or directed retaliation should be held accountable.

The ATF did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.