By Mark Chesnut The Truth About Guns
Alarmed at allegations of “gross and substantial waste, fraud and abuse” within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), two U.S. Senators have written a lengthy letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding “immediate corrective action.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst, both from Iowa and on the Senate Judiciary Committee, are making public previously unreleased government reports confirming ATF Senior Executive Lisa Boykin and Justice Management Division (JMD) Acting Deputy Director of Human Resources (HR) Ralph Bittelari “engaged in gross and substantial waste, fraud and abuse, as well as potentially criminal false certification of government records and whistleblower retaliation.”
“The Biden administration’s ATF illegally lined employees’ pockets with tens-of-millions of taxpayer dollars,” Sen. Grassley said in a Judiciary Committee Press Release. “These Washington bureaucrats must answer for their misconduct, and if heads don’t roll, nothing will change. Without the continued persistence of brave whistleblowers, ATF’s illegal scheme would’ve likely continued. As always, sunshine is the best disinfectant. Attorney General Pam Bondi should take strong action to hold these Biden-era pencil pushers accountable and end the fraudulent waste at ATF.”
For her part, Sen. Ernst said the Biden administration looked the other way while ATF bureaucrats knowingly defrauded taxpayers to pad their salaries.”
“These desk jockeys pretending to be law enforcement officers are about to get a crash course in the law,” she promised. “I look forward to Attorney General Pam Bondi sending a clear message that federal employees are not above the law and stealing tax dollars is a crime.”
In the May 9 letter sent to AG Bondi, ATF Acting Director Daniel Driscoll and DOG Assistant Attorney General for Administration Jolene Ann Lauria, the senators said results of an ATF Internal Affairs Division investigation require immediate corrective action.
“The IAD report was completed on January 5, 2024, and it highlights considerable evidence of gross waste, fraud, and abuse; substantial misconduct and mismanagement; abuse of power; and potential criminal misconduct committed by and under the supervision of then-ATF Office of Human Resources and Professional Development (HRPD) Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Lisa Boykin and HR Division Chief Ralph Bittelari,” the senators wrote.
What followed in the letter was nearly four pages of examples of wrongdoing within Biden’s ATF, ranging from gross misconduct to arguably criminal activities.
“In closing, the findings in the IAD and OPM audit reports further substantiate the claims whistleblowers made to our offices that senior ATF bureaucrats, Ms. Boykin and Mr. Bittelari, engaged in gross and substantial waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct at the expense of taxpayers in furtherance of ATF’s illegal misclassification scheme, retaliated against whistleblowers for exposing it, and then were promoted for it,” the senators concluded. “The IAD report also evidences that Ms. Boykin and Mr. Bittelari engaged in what can be described as potential criminal misconduct by knowingly falsifying and fraudulently certifying government records, defrauding taxpayers, and attempting to conceal their illegal activity by retaliating and attempting to silence whistleblowers.
“Their complete disregard for the law despite being ‘fully aware of the potential consequences’ show Boykin and Bittelari should not have leadership positions at the Justice Department or its components.”
Find this article on The Truth About Guns.
READ NEXT: Bernie Sanders Exposes His Party And It’s Caught On Camera
Another revelation! Although A.G. Bondi was left this corrupt mess she is stuck with straightening it out. Will anyone go to prison for those felonies? Probably not.
When did senators Grassley and E
Corrupt federal bureaucrats? Just can’t be!
Exactly – this woman (Lois Lerner) was never prosecuted – permitted to retire without consequences. People like her need to be prosecuted to put others on notice that their actions have consequences. Lois Gail Lerner is an American attorney and former United States federal civil service employee. Lerner became director of the Exempt Organizations Unit of the Internal Revenue Service in 2005, and subsequently became the central figure in the 2013 IRS targeting controversy in the targeting of politically aligned groups, either denying them tax-exempt status outright or delaying that status until they could no longer take effective part in the 2012 election. Comey and all those who attempted to railroad Trump have gotten away with their misdeeds. The two lover birds and others actually received damages after they left government – One lost his pension and then had the loss reversed – goes to show – do what you want and no consequences!