The FBI’s Effort to Keep a Whistleblower’s Book from Being Published

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been trying to prevent former FBI employee and whistleblower Sibel Edmonds from publishing a book she submitted for prepublication review nearly one year ago, the National Whistleblower Center reports.

Edmonds submitted a manuscript of her book, Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story, on April 26, 2011, because under an employee agreement she signed, this was required. In turn, the FBI had 30 days to review and approve the submission. Three hundred and forty-three days later, Edmonds says the book is being held “hostage.”

The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has some idea on what is taking so long. They published a document that employees like Edmonds were required to sign, which they consider to be an “illegal” contract because it asserts the FBI has the authority to censor material if it might pose an issue for “public policy.”

From the agreement Edmonds signed:

…I understand that this agreement is not intended to apply to information which has been placed in the public domain or to prevent me from writing or speaking about the FBI, but it is intended to prevent disclosure of information where disclosure would be contrary to the law, regulation or public policy. I agree the Director of the FBI is in a better position than I to make that determination… Read More