The Department of Veterans Affairs has investigated at least four employees for speaking to the press after attending vigils honoring Alex Pretti, a VA worker killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis in January, drawing accusations that the agency is using intimidation to silence staff members.
Becky Halioua, a recreational therapist and union leader at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, attended a vigil to pay respects to Pretti and briefly spoke to a local newspaper about her concerns, and shortly afterward she was informed of an internal investigation into whether she violated agency media relations policies, reported CNN.
“It really gave me an uneasy feeling,” Halioua said, adding that seeing her face circled in a photograph of a crowd seemed “very stalker-like.”
The VA concluded Halioua violated agency rules by consenting to an interview without requesting prior approval, but she maintains that she followed protocol by speaking only in her personal capacity, attending the event off-hours and off-campus, and deliberately avoiding wearing any VA identification or logos.
At least three other VA employees faced similar investigations related to media interactions following Pretti's death, according to sources familiar with the matter. VA press secretary Quinn Slaven declined to comment on individual cases, citing privacy concerns, and did not address broader questions about the frequency of such investigations.
Halioua believes the investigation is retaliation for her role as a local president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union in Georgia. "I think that it's a scare tactic," she said. "I think that it is a method really to silence the employees with the loudest voices."
Thomas Dargon, deputy general counsel for AFGE, stated that Halioua exercised her First Amendment rights and followed conduct rules. "It is disappointing to say the least that VA dragged her through an investigation," he told CNN.
National Nurses United condemned the investigations, stating: "It is despicable and immoral to come after any federal employee who participates in a vigil for a fellow worker."
