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Whistleblower Retaliation

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has the exclusive statutory jurisdiction to investigate allegations of whistleblower retaliation involving:

  • Employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Employees of DOJ contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees
  • Employees of any DOJ component who believe their security clearance or access to classified information has been taken in retaliation for whistleblowing
The DOJ also shares jurisdiction with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in investigating allegations of whistleblower retaliation involving all other DOJ employees.  However, because of OSC’s unique statutory authority to seek relief directly for a whistleblower, the OIG most commonly defers to OSC in cases involving DOJ employees where our offices share jurisdiction to investigate.  The OIG may not have jurisdiction over the retaliation you are attempting to report.  Please consult the website of the Office of Special Counsel, which has primary jurisdiction over retaliation complaints for most federal employees.