Senate Republicans Demand Action Over ATF Misconduct Allegations
Two Republican senators, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, and Joni Ernst, are demanding immediate corrective action at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), citing substantial misconduct, mismanagement, abuse of power, and potential criminal misconduct by agency officials. The senators allege that supervisory staff disregarded federal directives and standards to inflate their salaries, resulting in the misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars.
In a letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting ATF Director Daniel Driscoll, the senators detailed their concerns. The core of their complaint centers on accusations that ATF supervisory agents knowingly violated Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directives and standards by improperly reclassifying agency employees to receive enhanced law enforcement pay and benefits to which they were not entitled.
According to Grassley and Ernst, the issue was brought to light through two internal investigations. The first, conducted by the OPM, concluded in 2020 and resulted in the suspension of the ATF’s classification authority. Although this suspension was lifted in 2023, the senators claim that ATF officials continued to disregard OPM directives and improperly reclassify employees. The second investigation, conducted by the ATF Internal Affairs Division (IAD), was completed in early 2024.
The senators’ letter specifically names two supervisory agents, Lisa Boykin and Ralph Bittelari, accusing them of not only allowing the misclassification scheme to continue but also of retaliating against whistleblowers who attempted to expose the misconduct. Adding to the gravity of the situation, Grassley and Ernst claim that Boykin and Bittelari were promoted under the Biden administration, despite the findings of the IAD investigation. The article mentions Boykin was promoted to Chief Diversity officer under Biden, but in January 2025 her title was switched to Senior Executive. Bittelari was promoted to senior advisor at the Justice Departments Justice Management Division and later acting deputy director of human resources within JMD.
To illustrate the alleged misconduct, the senators provided specific examples. In one instance, Bittelari and Boykin allegedly proceeded with the relocation of an ATF law enforcement officer from Phoenix to an administrative position at ATF headquarters in Washington, D.C., despite OPM’s determination that the position was misclassified. The IAD report purportedly shows that Bittelari initially agreed to rescind the job offer but changed his mind after a conversation with Boykin and moved forward with the unauthorized relocation.
Furthermore, the senators allege that Bittelari attempted to conceal the unlawful assignment by submitting the promotion directly to payroll for processing. In another instance, when Bittelari sought to improperly classify a position description for the chief of ATF’s Workforce Wellness and Services Division (WWSD) as law enforcement, a human resources classification specialist was allegedly threatened with insubordination after recusing herself from the matter and notifying staff that it was a violation of OPM directives and standards.
The senators also highlighted what they described as Boykin’s "troubling lack of candor" regarding the installation of the chief of WWSD. According to the senators, Boykin told IAD investigators that she was unsure if the chief of WWSD had been installed before the position description had been adequately approved. However, the senators claim that Boykin’s emails show the individual attended meetings and functions as WWSD chief prior to receiving approval, and a draft position description was created jointly by the pair weeks before the official WWSD chief position description was approved.
Grassley and Ernst emphasized the need for corrective action, stating that the findings in the IAD report present clear evidence of gross misconduct by Boykin and Bittelari. They expressed their dismay that the Biden ATF and Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership not only failed to hold Boykin and Bittelari accountable but also promoted them after the conclusion of the IAD investigation.
The senators’ letter also points out that Boykin was promoted to chief diversity officer under the Biden administration, although her title was later changed to "Senior Executive" in January 2025. Similarly, Bittelari was promoted to senior advisor at the Justice Department’s Justice Management Division (JMD) and later acting deputy director of human resources within JMD.
In closing, Grassley and Ernst reiterated their concerns, stating that the findings in the IAD and OPM audit reports substantiate the claims made by whistleblowers that Boykin and Bittelari engaged in gross and substantial waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct at the expense of taxpayers in furtherance of ATF’s illegal misclassification scheme. They further allege that Boykin and Bittelari retaliated against whistleblowers for exposing the misconduct and were then promoted for it.
The senators concluded that Boykin and Bittelari’s complete disregard for the law, despite being "fully aware of the potential consequences," disqualifies them from holding leadership positions at the Justice Department or its components.
In addition to calling for corrective action, Grassley and Ernst requested that the Justice Department submit a response no later than May 23, outlining its plans to address the issues raised in the IAD report and their letter.
As of the time of the report, the Justice Department declined to comment, and the ATF did not respond to inquiries.
