U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials retaliated against a CBP agent just hours after he concluded a voluntary transcribed interview with the House Committees on Oversight and Accountability and Homeland Security, according to a “credible whistleblower” familiar with CBP personnel practices.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) announced on Friday that they have sent a letter to Acting CBP Commissioner Troy A. Miller demanding “a briefing and all documents and communications relevant to any reassignment and the reasons for any related employment action regarding Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Border Patrol Sector.”
🚨.@RepMarkGreen & @RepJamesComer sent a letter to CBP demanding answers over allegations of retaliation against a witness in the Committees' investigation into Secretary Mayotkas and President Biden's border crisis. pic.twitter.com/xA42BMwH0f
— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) July 21, 2023
After providing testimony in the committees’ investigation of the Biden Regime’s border crisis, Bovino “was relieved of his command over the El Centro Sector and reassigned to a vague, indefinite, and temporary headquarters assignment,” the Chairmen wrote in their letter.
“We write with deep concern that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials may have retaliated against a witness in a Congressional investigation,” wrote the Chairmen. “The Committees have received an allegation from a credible whistleblower with extensive experience in and knowledge of CBP personnel practices that—within hours of concluding a voluntary transcribed interview with the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Homeland Security on July 12, 2023, Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro Border Patrol Sector, was relieved of his command over the El Centro Sector and reassigned to a vague, indefinite, and temporary headquarters assignment. Given the suspicious timing of the reassignment coinciding with Chief Bovino’s cooperation with a Congressional inquiry, we demand CBP account for the current status of Chief Bovino’s employment and assignment within the U.S. Border Patrol, provide documents and communications relevant to any reassignment and the reasons for any related employment action, and brief the Committee on this matter.”
According to the whistleblower, a senior U.S. Border Patrol official informed Chief Bovino soon after his transcribed interview that “he was relieved of command of the El Centro Sector effective immediately and would thereafter report to CBP headquarters in Washington, D.C. for a temporary duty assignment of indefinite nature and time,” the Chairman said.
The whistleblower described the temporary assignment as “one of no certain mission, no articulable purpose, and without any timeline of completion.” The whistleblower told the Republican lawmakers that “this practice is consistent with the way in which CBP officials have dealt with employees who they wish to leave the agency, by placing maximum pressure on them to relocate, retire, or resign.”
“The ability of Congress to receive truthful testimony about the activities of the Executive Branch is paramount to performing essential oversight functions necessary to inform the legislative process,” the Chairmen wrote. “Any retaliation against witnesses who cooperate with Congressional inquiries will not be tolerated, especially when that retaliation may have been committed by government officials. Additionally, obstruction of Congressional investigations is a crime and will not be tolerated,” the Republicans added.