Last week the home of Dennis Nathan Cain, a whistleblower who gave information and documents to the Department of Justice Inspector General about Uranium One and the Clinton Foundation, was raided by the FBI. From Richard Pollock at the Daily Caller:
FBI agents raided the home of a recognized Department of Justice whistleblower who privately delivered documents pertaining to the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One to a government watchdog, according to the whistleblower’s attorney.
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.
In response to the raid, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has written letters to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for an explanation.
"A recent news report has indicated that the FBI raided the home of a “whistleblower,” Mr. Dennis Nathan Cain, who provided documents regarding the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One transaction to your office.[1] The report also notes that after receiving the documents, you provided them to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. It appears, based on the reporting, that these documents were provided to your office under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act," Grassley wrote to Horowitz. "Further, it appears that the documents pertain to matters that fall within this Committee’s jurisdiction and matters upon which this Committee has inquired. Accordingly, I request that you produce all documents to the Committee and provide an update with respect to the steps you have taken, or plan to take, regarding the FBI’s treatment of Mr. Cain’s disclosures no later than December 12, 2018."
Because of Cain's cooperation with DOJ and various congressional committees, he is covered by the Whistleblower Protection Act and the raid may have been illegal.
"On November 19, 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly raided the home of a former FBI contractor, Mr. Dennis Nathan Cain, who reportedly made disclosures to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General in accordance with the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act (ICWPA)," Grassley wrote to Wray. "As you are aware, the ICWPA applies to FBI contractors and provides them a mechanism by which to report waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement to Congress and the Inspector General. During the raid, agents reportedly seized documents that Mr. Cain had provided to the Inspector General and that the Inspector General later provided to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. These documents relate to the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One transaction."
Grassley is also asking Wray the following:
1. Was the FBI aware at the time of the raid that Mr. Cain had made what appeared to be lawful disclosures to the Inspector General? If so, was the FBI aware that these disclosures were passed to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, per the ICWPA process?
2. Does the FBI consider Mr. Cain’s disclosures to be protected? Please explain.
3. On what basis did the FBI decide to carry out the aforementioned raid on November 19, 2018? Please explain and provide a copy of the warrant and all supporting affidavits.
4. Did the materials seized by the FBI during the raid contain any classified information? If so, was that information classified at the time Mr. Cain brought them to his residence?
The raid comes as Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly wrapping up his investigation of the 2016 presidential election.