Exclusive: Biden Atf Promoted Agents Involved In 'illegal' Scheme To Inflate Salaries, Gop Senators Say

Two Senate Republicans are calling for contiguous corrective action astatine nan Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), accusing agency officials of important misconduct, mismanagement, maltreatment of powerfulness and imaginable criminal misconduct aft supervisory unit allegedly disregarded national directives and standards successful bid to inflate their salaries. 

What's more, alternatively of being disciplined, nan supervisory agents who allegedly turned a unsighted oculus to nan misconduct – and successful immoderate cases allegedly retaliated against whistleblowers trying to expose it – were promoted nether nan Biden administration, nan senators say.

"As a consequence of ATF’s forbidden conduct, ATF unit assigned to these positions performed administrative activity but unlawfully received enhanced rule enforcement salary and benefits to which they were not entitled, wasting millions of payer dollars," Iowa's Republican senators, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, wrote successful a missive transmitted Friday to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and ATF acting Director Daniel Driscoll. 

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In their letter, nan senators cited 2 soul investigations from nan Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which concluded successful 2020 and yet suspended nan ATF's classification authority, and nan ATF Internal Affairs Division (IAD), which was completed successful early 2024. Despite nan suspension from OPM successful 2020, which was lifted successful 2023, ATF officials disregarded OPM directives and continued to re-classify agency labor improperly, according to nan senators.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are calling for contiguous corrective action astatine nan ATF, accusing supervisory agents location of turning a unsighted oculus to a criminal strategy to inflate their salaries and, successful turn, getting rewarded for it by nan Biden administration. (Getty Images/Fox News)

In their letter, Grassley and Ernst singled retired 2 supervisory agents, Lisa Boykin and Ralph Bittelari, who they opportunity nan IAD audit shows not only allowed nan continuance of this misclassification strategy – contempt knowing it violated OPM directives and standards – but besides retaliated against whistleblowers trying to expose it. 

Furthermore, nan senators claim, Boykin and Bittelari were promoted earlier President Joe Biden near agency and proceed to activity astatine nan ATF nether President Donald Trump.

In 1 instance, according to nan senators, Bittelari and Boykin decided to move guardant pinch nan relocation of an ATF rule enforcement serviceman successful Phoenix to an administrative position astatine ATF office successful Washington, D.C., contempt OPM identifying nan position arsenic misclassified. The IAD study allegedly shows Bittelari initially agreed to rescind nan occupation offer, but pursuing a consequent speech pinch Boykin decided to move guardant pinch nan unauthorized relocation anyway.

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Furthermore, nan senators alleged successful their missive that nan IAD study shows Bittelari attempted to hide nan "unlawful assignment" by submitting nan promotion straight to payroll for processing.

During different lawsuit erstwhile Bittelari sought to improperly categorize a position explanation for nan main of ATF's Workforce Wellness and Services Division (WWSD) arsenic law enforcement, nan senators said a quality resources classification master was threatened pinch insubordination aft recusing herself from nan matter and sending an email notifying unit it was a usurpation of OPM directives and standards. 

The senator's missive besides highlighted Boykin's "troubling deficiency of candor" regarding nan installation of nan main of WWSD. According to nan senators, Boykin told IAD investigators she was unsure if nan main of WWSD had been installed anterior to nan position explanation ever being adequately approved. However, nan senators said, Boykin's emails showed nan individual attended meetings and functions pinch Boykin arsenic WWSD main anterior to receiving approval, and a draught position explanation was created jointly by nan brace weeks earlier nan charismatic WWSD main position explanation was approved.   

"The findings successful nan IAD study coming clear grounds that corrective action must beryllium taken for, astatine minimum, Ms. Boykin’s and Mr. Bittelari’s gross misconduct," nan senators wrote. "Yet, nan Biden ATF and DOJ activity not only grounded to clasp Boykin aliases Bittelari accountable for their gross misconduct, but legally protected whistleblower disclosures provided to our offices show these profession DOJ bureaucrats were promoted aft nan conclusion of nan IAD investigation that harshly criticized their actions."

The senators constituent retired successful their missive that Boykin was promoted to main diverseness serviceman nether Biden, but successful January 2025 her title was switched to "Senior Executive." Meanwhile, nan senators besides pointed retired Bittelari was promoted to elder advisor astatine nan Justice Department's Justice Management Division (JMD), and later acting lawman head of quality resources wrong JMD.

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"In closing, nan findings successful nan IAD and OPM audit reports further substantiate nan claims whistleblowers made to our offices that elder ATF bureaucrats, Ms. Boykin and Mr. Bittelari, engaged successful gross and important waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct astatine nan disbursal of taxpayers successful furtherance of ATF’s forbidden misclassification scheme, retaliated against whistleblowers for exposing it, and past were promoted for it," stated Grassley and Ernst's missive to Bondi and Driscoll. 

"Their complete disregard for nan rule contempt being ‘fully alert of nan imaginable consequences’ show Boykin and Bittelari should not person activity positions astatine nan Justice Department aliases its components."

The ATF has antecedently travel nether occurrence for "circumventing" a directive by President Donald Trump to curbing DEI efforts astatine national agencies. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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In summation to calling for corrective action, Grassley and Ernst requested that nary later than May 23 nan Justice Department taxable a consequence connected really it plans to reside nan issues laid retired successful nan IAD study and their letter. 

The Justice Department declined to remark for this article, while nan ATF did not respond to Fox News Digital's inquiries.