The House Republican Judiciary Committee has accused the FBI of retaliating against a whistleblower, Special Agent Valentine Fertitta, by denying his wife, Emily Fertitta, the right to legal representation during security clearance interviews. According to the Committee’s letter, the FBI attempted to interrogate Emily Fertitta without allowing her to have an attorney present and refused to provide her with the guidelines for the interview process. The Committee claims that the FBI violated standard procedures by withholding attorney access and spousal privileges during the investigation.
The Committee has informed FBI Director Kash Patel that the action violated whistleblower protections and has requested that the FBI provide any documents related to its investigation of the Fertitta family. Patel has been directed to provide the requested documentation no later than Nov. 30, 2025. The Committee letter, signed by Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., states that the FBI used the security-clearance interview process to skirt whistleblower protections and investigate Special Agent Valentine Fertitta in 2024. The Committee highlighted that the FBI had told Mrs. Fertitta that ‘policy guides, manuals, and an agenda or outline concerning the interview will not be provided.’ The FBI also told Mrs. Fertitta that ‘an attorney may not be able to give you advice during the interview, nor ask any questions or prevent you from answering your questions during the interview. Essentially, he/she will just sit there silently.’
The demand to interview Mrs. Fertitta goes against the standard process for security clearance evaluations. The FBI’s SEAD 4 Guidelines, the procedures that govern the standards, do not allow the agency to deny spousal privilege — a spouse’s legal right to refuse to testify against their partner in criminal cases. It also does not empower the agency to deny a request for an attorney. The Committee did not detail in its communications the nature of the behavior Valentine Fertitta had tried to expose in his capacity as a whistleblower. The House Judiciary Committee has requested that the FBI provide any documents related to the FBI’s investigation of the Fertitta family. FBI Director Patel has been directed to provide the committee with its requested documentation no later than Nov. 30, 2025.