A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
agent who blew the whistle on the botched Fast and Furious gunrunning
investigation and, according to lawmakers, was threatened with losing
his job has successfully resolved a retaliation claim.

ATF agent Peter Forcelli settled the claim, according to Carolyn Lerner, head of the Office of Special Counsel, through an OSC-overseen mediation process in which a neutral third party — in this case an independent OSC mediator — assisted the opposing parties in reaching a voluntary, negotiated resolution.

The resolution is confidential under OSC mediation rules.

(snip)

In a letter to the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General,
the lawmakers, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, who initiated the
Fast and Furious probe, and Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican,
who headed the House investigation, quoted that supervisor, Scot
Thomasson, division chief of the Firearms Operations Unit, as saying,
"We need to get whatever dirt we can on [Mr. Dodson and Mr. Forcelli] and take them down.”

Mr. Dodson had gone public about Fast and Furious in a February 2011 interview with CBS News. He later testified before Congress with Mr. Forcelli.

"It
is difficult to understand why ATF leadership would put two of these
courageous whistleblowers at the mercy of an individual who made such
reckless, irresponsible and inaccurate comments about them 18 months
ago,” Mr. Grassley and Mr. Issa wrote.