WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today secured support from President Trump’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner nominee, Rodney Scott, on two longtime Grassley priorities.
Grassley is calling on CBP to immediately reinstate three CBP whistleblowers – Mark Jones, Mike Taylor and Fred Wynn – who’ve sounded the alarm to Grassley’s office over CBP’s unlawful failure to collect DNA from illegal immigrants encountered at the border.
Grassley noted to Scott, “It would assure my support for your nomination if these [whistleblowers] can be 100% redirected from the punishment they had by the previous administration.”
Scott responded: “Thank you for always stepping up and supporting the whistleblowers. I think it’s a critical part of our government, it pushes transparency… I do know those three [whistleblowers], and I know one allegation that’s never been levied against them is a challenge of their integrity. I will look into [this], and I will hold people accountable if they’ve violated policies.”
Scott additionally voiced support for Grassley’s legislative push to enhance CBP’s information-sharing capabilities to crack down on counterfeit imports, saying: “Border security is a team sport, and this is no different in the trade environment… Sharing information that is not a threat to other corporations, with the supply chain partners…is critically important.”
Video and a transcript of Grassley’s questions follow.
Reinstating Whistleblowers and Holding Retaliators Accountable:
Mr. Scott, I’ve been told that you’re well aware of the retaliation against Mark Jones, Mike Taylor, and Fred Wynn. [They’re] people that helped me in some investigations I was doing.
The retaliation’s been corroborated by the Office of Special Counsel. It’s been corroborated by my investigative staff.
The Biden Customs and Border Protection stripped these brave whistleblowers of their badges and guns.
As a result, they’ve lost out on promotions, pay increases and increased retirement pay.
And why did that happen? Because they dared to disclose the Biden administration’s non-compliance with the law that is entitled the DNA Fingerprint Act, which means that everybody that crosses the border ought to have DNA collected, and only about 25% of that was actually being done. Non-compliance which put our country at risk.
This can be fixed before your nomination even gets to the floor. It can be fixed this very day. It would assure my support for your nomination if these people can be 100% redirected from the punishment they had by the previous administration.
But [it’s] just as important [to me] to know that these people that have done the retaliation are held accountable.
I suppose it’s kind of a case [of] can you find them in the bureaucracy. But, if confirmed, what concrete steps would you take to hold these retaliators accountable?
It’s not always easy for CBP to determine whether a shipment contains counterfeit imports, so CBP relies heavily on stakeholders like trademark owners to help identify fake products.
Mr. Scott, do you think CBP’s job would be easier if the law allowed the agency to share specific information with stakeholders — such as information found on packing materials and shipping containers—when it’s trying to determine if imported goods are real or fake?
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