Is There a DEA Hiring Scandal Brewing in Congress?

Being a proud retired agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration, I take no pleasure in reporting this, but any hint of corruption must be addressed and fully investigated. Out of fairness and caution, I am not mentioning the names of any individuals involved in this, but the basic allegations, which have been sent to Congress by concerned present and former DEA agents are these.

In February of this year, it was alleged that DEA personnel involved in administering polygraph examinations to DEA agent applicants developed information that at least three potential hires had self-divulged information about their past behavior during the polygraph that would have disqualified them from being hired. (We are talking about serious criminal offenses.) However, it is also reported that these applicants were accepted for basic agent training at the DEA academy in Quantico, Virginia (which, coincidentally, was my last post of duty from 1990 to 1995 when I retired.) It is further alleged that in February 2014, several e-mails (Here we go again) were exchanged within DEA Hqs. regarding the allegations made and how to deal with them. It is alleged that DEA Hqs officials were not receptive to the reports from polygraph officials.

In July of this year, a letter (which I have read) was sent by present and former DEA agents to the below Congressional recipients asking for an investigation into the matter.

The Honorable Claire McCaskill
United States Senate
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Darrell Issa
United States Congress
2157 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
United States Senate
361A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The letter was sent to DEA agents-in-charge around the country, various news outlets and Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice among others. It is also reported that a current DEA agent has written to the FBI director, James Comey, asking for an investigation. 


I have no knowledge as to the veracity of the allegations, but I expect we will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks and months ahead.