Grassley: Trump’s FBI, National Intelligence picks must pledge to protect whistleblowers

DES MOINES — As he considers the nominees to be the next leaders of the FBI and National Intelligence, Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said one of his priorities is learning whether the nominees will pledge to support protections for whistleblowers.

Speaking to Iowa reporters Wednesday by conference call, Grassley said he is not telling candidates in advance whether he will support their nominations.

Recently, Grassley has met with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the FBI, Kash Patel; and National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.

Grassley spoke to Iowa reporters Wednesday afternoon just before another meeting with a Trump nominee: Brooke Rollins to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Grassley said he wants to hear from Patel and Gabbard about how they will protect whistleblowers and how their agencies would be responsive to questions from Congressional members.

Grassley will be chairman of the Senate Judiciary when Republicans’ majority goes into effect for the next Congress that meets in January. Patel’s confirmation will run through that Senate Judiciary Committee.

“I’m trying to focus on how they respect whistleblowers,” Grassley said, “and how they will respect the promise — which most people in the cabinet don’t keep — to answer our letters. And for me, that’s an awful lot like investigations.”

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Grassley, a Republican, said he has sent 150 letters to the Department of Justice under Democratic President Joe Biden and 85 of them have not been answered. Grassley said he wants to hear assurances from Patel and Gabbard that their agencies will “appreciate” Congressional oversight and the role whistleblowers play in keeping federal agencies transparent and accountable.

“You might think, did I talk much policy with them? Probably not. I probably talked more process with them than I did policy,” Grassley said of his meetings with Patel and Gabbard.

Speaking before his meeting with Rollins, Grassley said he recalled her, on behalf of the previous Trump White House, working with his office on criminal justice legislation.

Grassley: E15 provision would be good for Iowa

Grassley called it “a big deal” for Iowa that the current version of a federal spending bill includes a provision that would allow for the year-round sale of the E15 ethanol blend.

The E15 ethanol blend recently became legal for year-round sale in Iowa and seven other states that were granted a federal waiver. The provision in the new spending bill would expand that nationwide.

In states without a waiver, E15 cannot be sold during the summer months. That prohibition was enacted over concerns that the higher ethanol blend, when burned in the summer, had an unhealthy environmental impact.

“It’s a big deal, something we’ve been working on for a long time,” Grassley said.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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