Whistleblowers Can Play a Critical Role in the Biden Administration’s Fight Against Corruption

Yesterday, the White House issued an anti-corruption directive to federal agencies to prioritize efforts to combat corruption, including money laundering.  The directive recognizes that “[c]orruption threatens United States national security, economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself” and requires federal agencies to develop recommendations to effectively prevent and counter corruption. To win this important battle against corruption, the Biden Administration should utilize whistleblower rewards programs at federal agencies to encourage whistleblowers to report bribery, money laundering, and other fraud schemes that would otherwise go undetected. And the Administration and Congress should provide civil and criminal law enforcement agencies with the resources required to investigate whistleblower tips and prosecute the violations of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws that whistleblowers courageously step forward to report.