The whistleblower told the office of Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the Justice Department launched the review of the FBI’s disciplinary database in 2020 following an Associated Press investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving at least six senior FBI officials.Grassley’s office, which declined to make the whistleblower or underlying documents available to protect the person’s identity, said in its letter it was still seeking that information but also characterized that number as possibly being in the “hundreds.”“It’s been alleged to my office that the data involved an element of sexual misconduct, which comports with the purpose of the ... review that was done because of the Associated Press article,” Grassley wrote in his letter that was first shared with the AP.In its statement, the FBI said that since establishing a working group just days after the AP story was published, the bureau has implemented a series of changes, including a 24/7 tip line with a licensed clinician where employees can report abuse, and a working group of senior executives to review policies and procedures on harassment and victim support.David J. Shaffer, a Washington attorney who represents several victims of sexual misconduct in the FBI, called on lawmakers to examine how often the bureau opens internal investigations against women who come forward.“The most serious abuse of the FBI disciplinary system is to retaliate against the very women who complain by starting investigations against them after they report sexual misconduct,” he said, “thereby discouraging reporting in the FBI due to fear of retaliation.”Tracy Walder, a former FBI agent who left the bureau in 2006 after she filed a sexual harassment complaint, said she believes such misconduct is pervasive and is glad it is finally being taken seriously."