FBI agents spent six hours raiding the home of Department of Justice whistleblower Dennis Nathan Cain on Nov. 19th. According to Cain's lawyer, he was in possession of documents pertaining to the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One. He had handed them over to the DOJ’s inspector general and both the House and Senate Intelligence committees, The Daily Caller News Foundation reported.
From The Daily Caller:
The Justice Department’s inspector general was informed that the documents show that federal officials failed to investigate potential criminal activity regarding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and Rosatom, the Russian company that purchased Uranium One, a document reviewed by The Daily Caller News Foundation alleges.
The delivered documents also show that then-FBI Director Robert Mueller failed to investigate allegations of criminal misconduct pertaining to Rosatom and to other Russian government entities attached to Uranium One, the document reviewed by TheDCNF alleges. Mueller is now the special counsel investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Although Cain handed over the documents, the whistleblower’s lawyer, Michael Socarras, said the raid was excessive and went against whistleblower protections.
“The bureau raided my client to seize what he legally gave Congress about the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One,” Socarras told The DCNF.
A special agent from the FBI's Baltimore division believed Cain had stolen federal property and demanded to be let into the house. Cain let the agent know that he was protected under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act and that Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz recognized his whistleblower status. He also made the agent aware that he had submitted the classified information to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. At that point the special agent in charge of the sting direct 16 other agents to begin a sweep Cain's property.
Cain immediately handed over the documents to the FBI out of fear. Despite having the documents, the FBI continued their raid.
“After asking and getting my approval to do so, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz had a member of his staff physically take Mr. Cain’s classified document disclosure to the House and Senate Intelligence committees,” Socarras said. “For the bureau to show up at Mr. Cain’s home suggesting that those same documents are stolen federal property, and then proceed to seize copies of the same documents after being told at the house door that he is a legally protected whistleblower who gave them to Congress, is an outrageous disregard of the law."
Cain came across the classified information while working for a government contractor. Under whistleblower protections, the inspector general is to share that information with the attorney general. At that time, the attorney general was Jeff Sessions.
“The [whistleblower act] authorizes employees of contractors to take government property and give it to the two intelligence committees confidentially,” Socarras said.
Here's how the information was handed off:
Cain met with a senior member of Horowitz’s office at a church close to the White House to deliver the documents to the IG, according to Socarras.
Cain sat in a pew with a hoodie and sun glasses, Socarras said. Cain held a double-sealed envelope containing a flash drive with the documents. The IG official met him and, without saying a word, took the pouch over Cain’s shoulder and left.