Watchdog says top FBI official violated policy with romantic relationship

The Office of the Inspector General found a top FBI official violated policy by engaging in a romantic relationship with a subordinate without reporting it to the agency.

Current and former officials from law enforcement told The Washington Post that Assistant Director Jill Tyson, one of the few women in FBI leadership, was the official the office discussed in its Thursday report.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Thursday the assistant director “engaged in a romantic relationship with a subordinate and failed to timely report the relationship, in violation of FBI policy.” Tyson was not named in the report.

“The OIG investigation also found that the Assistant Director allowed the relationship to negatively affect an appropriate and professional superior-subordinate relationship and to disrupt the workplace by interfering with the ability of other FBI employees to complete their work, and that the Assistant Director participated in a hiring or organizational decision involving the subordinate, all in violation of FBI policy,” the investigative summary said.

People familiar with the matter told The Post the accusations against Tyson do not involve harassment or mistreatment of the person she was engaged in a relationship with. 

The person was transferred to a different department when the investigation began more than a year ago, the sources said.

Tyson is currently the assistant director for congressional affairs and was formerly a prosecutor, Bureau of Prisons spokesperson and congressional staffer, The Post noted.

The Hill has reached out to the FBI and Inspector General’s office for comment.