Truth-Telling in Government Comes at a Cost

Filing a report about misconduct within the federal government is proving to be quite costly for some individuals, and Steve Friend is one of them.

On a recent episode of “The Steve Deace Show,” Blaze TV host Steve Deace revealed to Friend that he learned he was terminated from his position at the FBI just before Christmas. It all started back on January 6, when he was tasked with what his friend referred to as “the most important and highest-priority case in FBI history.” His experience eventually propelled him to become a whistleblower in 2022, primarily due to witnessing how the government was allegedly using legal measures to target citizens.

“What I’ve found is that there are very few people in the federal government, and especially the FBI, who are willing to support me when I voice my concerns,” Friend shared with Deace.

Friend explained that he faced suspension, resulting in the revocation of his security clearance. He had expected changes with the Trump administration, but found that nothing had improved, culminating in his dismissal from the FBI.

He recounted the day of his termination, saying, “The FBI called me on Sunday night, December 7, and asked me to come into work the following day. So, I did. I reported on Monday, December 8, and they transported me to Jacksonville. However, I wasn’t issued a firearm because my security clearance wasn’t valid.” He was assigned no specific role at that time.

“They informed me they couldn’t assign me any duties, so I ended up essentially escorting them around as if I were in some kind of detention,” he elaborated. Friend continued, explaining that he lacked access to a computer or cellphone, but eventually received credentials and worked for the following days.

“There was no information about benefits, no back pay, nothing. Ultimately, they told me I had 400 hours of vacation time that I could use at my discretion,” he added.

When Friend decided to use some of that vacation time to take his wife to a Christmas event in Tampa, he received a phone call asking him to return to the office. He responded, “I can’t make it because I don’t have the money.” They told him to return the following Monday.

Then came an unexpected call from a journalist at the New York Post, who informed him that she was writing about the FBI’s plans to terminate him and wanted his comment. “It seems they intended to bring me back in a somewhat humiliating manner to officially fire me, but they messed it up by leaking the information to the media first to damage my reputation,” Friend recounted.

He ultimately received a termination letter signed by Kash Patel, officially removing him as an FBI agent. Interestingly, just 90 minutes later, the New York Post removed the article, and he found himself being targeted by certain online circles, accused of making threats against the FBI director. Then, about 72 hours later, he received his credentials and badge back.