(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Democrats, government officials and even many Republicans expressed horror in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill protest—with some going so far as to compare it to Pearl Harbor or the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
But as the events of Jan. 6 were unfolding, at least one top FBI official wasn’t taking them so seriously, according to a newly unearthed DOJ Inspector General’s report obtained by Headline USA. The report, which stems from a sexual misconduct probe into former FBI official Jeffrey Sallet, states that Sallet asked a colleague about her dating habits on Jan. 6.
According to the report, a female FBI employee whose name was redacted stated that she was in Sallet’s office on Jan. 6.
“She looked out the window to see the crowds of people on Pennsylvania Avenue and commented on the large number of people and flags. Sallet allegedly turned to her and said, ‘How many of those guys are you thinking you’d like to date? That’s your type isn’t it?’” the DOJ-OIG report stated.
The DOJ-OIG report said Sallet denied the allegation: “I absolutely did not say that,” he told the inspector general.
However, another unnamed FBI employee told the DOJ-OIG there was “a whole conversation on [THE REDACTED FEMALE COLLEAGUE’S] type.” And yet another employee said the female colleague told her that Sallet made a lot of comments about her dating life, such as who she would date, who did she like, and who she thinks is attractive.
“The evidence shows it is more likely than not that Sallet made comments to [REDACTED] about her dating habits,” the Inspector General concluded.
And here's an even juicier excerpt for the J6ers.
Apparently, Sallet wasn't too concerned about the Jan. 6 protests as they unfolded. In fact, he made suggestive comments to a female colleague about dating the MAGA protestors, according to the DOJ-OIG report I've obtained https://t.co/3FWleDs6Rw pic.twitter.com/f9lSUVMsrZ— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) August 30, 2024
Sallet was promoted to associate deputy director in February 2021—making him the third highest-ranking official in the bureau—only to leave for the private sector less than a year later.
In January of this year, Headline USA reported on sexual-misconduct allegations against Sallet. But at the time, those allegations were being levied by a former FBI agent who claimed secondhand knowledge. The Justice Department blasted the accusations as “only anonymous hearsay and innuendo,” while Sallet denied any wrongdoing but declined to comment further.
Now, the DOJ-OIG report confirmed that he retired from federal service amidst the sexual-misconduct investigation, which found there was enough evidence substantiate that Sallet’s behavior constituted “harassing conduct.”
In response to the newly unearthed report, Sallet’s attorney, Douglas Brooks, emphasized that his client was not found responsible for sexual harassment. To Brooks’s point, Sallet was found to have violated the DOJ’s “Zero Tolerance Policy,” which does not require that conduct be “severe or pervasive” in order to be deemed actionable.
Instead, the DOJ-OIG blasted Sallet for “unprofessional conduct.”
“Sallet’s conduct constituted ‘Unprofessional Conduct – On Duty’ … [and] seriously call into question Sallet’s judgment regarding appropriate workplace conduct as a senior leader overseeing the human resources operations in a federal law enforcement agency,” the DOJ-OIG report concluded.
For more coverage on the DOJ-OIG report, see here.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
