By Steve Neavling
An FBI agent accused of misconduct in connection with the investigation of Jan. 6 defendants has regained his security clearance and received back pay as part of a settlement with the bureau.
Marcus Allen resigned from the FBI after reaching the settlement agreement, according to his lawyer Tristan Leavitt, The New York Times reports.
The FBI revoked his security clearance over “security concerns” about his “allegiance to the United States,” the bureau said in a letter to congressional investigators.
After his suspension in February 2022, he was awarded 27 months of back pay, Leavitt said.
Allen testified before a special House committee investigating what Republicans called the “weaponization” of the federal government against conservatives. He denied holding “conspiratorial views” about Jan. 6 and said he had no sympathy for the defendants.
“I was not in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, played no part in the events of Jan. 6, and I condemn all criminal activity that occurred,” he testified. “Instead, it appears that I was retaliated against because I forwarded information to my superiors and others that questioned the official narrative of the events of Jan. 6.”
Leavitt said the settlement with the bureau was a “total vindication.”
“The F.B.I. has completely backed down and provided everything that we had asked for on behalf of Marcus,” Leavitt said in a statement.
The bureau said it did nothing wrong in a statement.
“While we can’t comment on the specifics of any settlement, both parties agreed to resolve this matter without either admitting wrongdoing,” the bureau said, adding, “The F.B.I. takes seriously its responsibility to F.B.I. employees who make protected disclosures under whistle-blower regulations, and we are committed to ensuring they are protected from retaliation.”
