WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 22, 2021 — Jane Turner, FBI whistleblower and National Whistleblower Day Mistress of Ceremonies, spoke with Rolling Stone about her experiences blowing the whistle on the FBI and how the FBI continues to mishandle sexual abuse cases. The latest being the high-profile case surrounding Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of abusing dozens of young patients.
Turner, who joined the FBI in 1978, led the FBI’s highly successful program combating sex crimes against women and children on Indian Reservations in North Dakota. From 1998 to 1999, Turner discovered and exposed failures to properly investigate child abuse cases at the FBI’s child crime program and was retaliated against. Turner challenged her retaliation in federal court, winning her case in 2007.
“[W]e cannot allow this to happen,” Turner said, recounting her experience blowing the whistle. “I was just doing my job as far as I saw.” Turner explained, “It’s very hard to interview a child; they take time…I can parse out whether they’re lying or not without putting them under the glaring spotlight. Those skills are something that have to be learned and taught.” And that the FBI has “a culture of action-seeking male agents who got into FBI work for the ‘ass-kicking’ that perpetuates a cycle of neglecting child abuse cases.”
These statements are consistent with Turner’s 1998 allegations. It is unconceivable how much incredible pain could have been averted – even in the Nassar case – had the U.S. Government listened to this brave whistleblower over a decade ago. Now, National Whistleblower Center (NWC) joins Turner in urging the U.S. Government and the FBI to put an end to these ongoing and egregious failures as it should have when Jane Turner first raised these concerns many years ago.
Turner will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies at NWC’s National Whistleblower Day celebration that will run from July 28th to July 30th. She will also be featured on a panel discussing how whistleblowers have changed the FBI.
RSVP for National Whistleblower Day 2021 for updates and to join the event.
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For more information, please contact Nick Younger at nick.younger@whistleblowers.org.
