Document · D-014

The DoD Office of Inspector General closes Elizondo's retaliation complaint (2022)

DoD OIG FOIA release DODOIG-2023-000010 – Luis Elizondo reprisal complaint: interview transcript, internal e-mails and closure letter

Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) – Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations · Feb 16, 2022 · USA · FOIA release

What it contains

It contains the transcript of Elizondo's interview with investigators (around May 19, 2021), internal emails and the closing letter addressed to his attorney. The letter summarizes the complaint filed with the DoD hotline on May 4, 2021 under Presidential Policy Directive 19 (PPD-19): a senior official allegedly had his security clearance investigated in retaliation. It concludes that the evidence does not support the allegation because no action on eligibility for access was taken or threatened (the interview with the DCSA was part of a periodic review) and that the eligibility “remains intact”; an internal email records the approval of the closure on February 16, 2022.

What it shows and what it does not

It contradicts the idea that the investigation into the clearance was retaliation with concrete effects and confirms that Elizondo was interviewed by the Office of Inspector General. It does not rule on the other allegations of the complaint or on the merits of his claims about UAP. The letter dates the filing with the hotline to May 4, 2021, while the site uses May 3.

How it came to light

Released by the Office of Inspector General to The Black Vault on February 9, 2023 (101 pages released in part, 66 withheld), in response to three FOIA requests on the interview with Elizondo, on internal emails and on those exchanged with the attorney Daniel Sheehan.

The document

Open the document (documents2.theblackvault.com)

Sources

1. Politico, May 26, 2021 – Elizondo's complaint to the Inspector General (press)
2. The Black Vault, February 10, 2023 – the Inspector General releases the transcript of the interview with Elizondo (analysis)

On this site

People 2

• Luis Elizondo
• Daniel Sheehan

Claims 5

• Luis Elizondo: Claims that the AFOSI investigation into the release of the three videos found no unauthorized disclosure on… Partly verified
• Luis Elizondo: Accuses some senior Pentagon officials of malicious activity, coordinated disinformation, misconduct… Unverifiable
• Luis Elizondo: Claims under oath that a small group within the government created a culture of repression and intimidation… Partly verified
• Luis Elizondo: Claims under oath that he and many former colleagues, after giving classified testimony, were targeted with… Disputed
• Luis Elizondo: Claims under oath that he and many former colleagues gave classified testimony both to the Department of… Partly verified

Inconsistencies 1

• Luis Elizondo: Threats to his clearance versus the Inspector General's outcome

Official positions 1

• Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (2022): The Inspector General's office closed Elizondo's 2021 complaint, concluding that the…

Where the claims come from 1

• Those involved in the programs or who speak about them have suffered threats, retaliation, violence and even…

Timeline 1

• May 3, 2021: Elizondo files a complaint with the Pentagon inspector general

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UAPgrade's entries are compiled with artificial intelligence (three verifiers with opposing roles) and checked against the sources listed above: how we work. Have a document that changes this entry? Bring it to the Investigations Unit.