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True Blue: My Journey from Beat Cop to Suspended FBI Whistleblower
As seen on Huckabee
A suspended special agent explains his decision to turn whistleblower and expose FBI politicization and abuse against conservative America.
Stephen Friend had his dream job as an FBI special agent. After nearly a decade of combating violent crime, human trafficking, and child predators, he was reassigned to the FBI’s unprecedented investigation of the political unrest at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Friend soon uncovered efforts by the FBI and Department of Justice to manipulate statistics and exaggerate the nationwide threat of domestic terrorism. Friend spotlighted how the politicized FBI was cooking the books to support an ongoing narrative from the Joe Biden administration to label Donald Trump voters as violent extremists. Friend witnessed overzealous practices to harass conservative Americans and realized the FBI was turning its investigative processes into a punishment. When the married father of two made his bombshell allegations in a whistleblower disclosure, leaders within the FBI exposed themselves as partisan, ambitious players who insisted that January 6th protestors killed police officers and attempted to seize American democracy. Hell-bent on suppressing Friend from exposing the truth, FBI officials seized his gun and badge and suspended him from working as a special agent. In this memoir, Friend reflects on the lessons and life experiences that led him to ultimately risk his career to uphold his FBI special agent oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution against all enemies—both foreign and domestic.
A suspended special agent explains his decision to turn whistleblower and expose FBI politicization and abuse against conservative America.
Stephen Friend had his dream job as an FBI special agent. After nearly a decade of combating violent crime, human trafficking, and child predators, he was reassigned to the FBI’s unprecedented investigation of the political unrest at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Friend soon uncovered efforts by the FBI and Department of Justice to manipulate statistics and exaggerate the nationwide threat of domestic terrorism. Friend spotlighted how the politicized FBI was cooking the books to support an ongoing narrative from the Joe Biden administration to label Donald Trump voters as violent extremists. Friend witnessed overzealous practices to harass conservative Americans and realized the FBI was turning its investigative processes into a punishment. When the married father of two made his bombshell allegations in a whistleblower disclosure, leaders within the FBI exposed themselves as partisan, ambitious players who insisted that January 6th protestors killed police officers and attempted to seize American democracy. Hell-bent on suppressing Friend from exposing the truth, FBI officials seized his gun and badge and suspended him from working as a special agent. In this memoir, Friend reflects on the lessons and life experiences that led him to ultimately risk his career to uphold his FBI special agent oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution against all enemies—both foreign and domestic.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2023
43 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 17, 2023
compelling Story
This is a compelling story of what has happened to the FBI being turned into a political organization instead of a law enforcement organization. I say this as a former LEO. When the leadership doesn’t listen to the field agents things go wrong. When the work place is fraught with political promotions instead of merit it’s the downfall of an agency. I believe the FBI needs to be dissolved.
This is a compelling story of what has happened to the FBI being turned into a political organization instead of a law enforcement organization. I say this as a former LEO. When the leadership doesn’t listen to the field agents things go wrong. When the work place is fraught with political promotions instead of merit it’s the downfall of an agency. I believe the FBI needs to be dissolved.
June 25, 2023
True Blue: My Journey from Beat Cop to Suspended FBI Whistleblower by Stephan Friend is a short biography of his journey to becoming a FBI agent. A predictable read of a young idealist and his virtuous decision making. A fast and compelling read. Friend wears his emotions on his sleeve to the detriment of his FBI career. Perhaps the best part of the book is the interview he taped between him and two of his superiors. Taken word for word the hour plus long dialogue is a textbook version of knowing when to land the plane. IMO Friend fails mercilessly. He goes on and on about his views of honor and country, training and oaths to get out of being on the FBIs January 6th terrorist investigation team. The FBI rightly or wrongly does not give a shit. He is sacked. The rest is his explanation of the treatment and wrongful dismissal because of his stand. Well written, sad because he is a superior agent in comparison to his superiors. Not overtly political. Friend never voted for Trump. Conclusion? The FBI is thoroughly corrupted.
May 5, 2023
Very heart felt book. An eye opening on what’s going on with our government and the world around us. A must read.
July 3, 2023
This man is what every Law Enforcement Officer should aspire to be!
Agent Friend was obviously railroaded out of his dream job. Instead of being lauded as patriot he was persecuted as though he was a criminal for doing what he felt was right. Sad that a once-revered agency has fallen so far in shame because of power-hungry bureaucrats. This is a great read, and a big Thank You to Agent Stephen Friend for everything he has done!
Agent Friend was obviously railroaded out of his dream job. Instead of being lauded as patriot he was persecuted as though he was a criminal for doing what he felt was right. Sad that a once-revered agency has fallen so far in shame because of power-hungry bureaucrats. This is a great read, and a big Thank You to Agent Stephen Friend for everything he has done!
July 16, 2023
Sad But True, The Decline of the FBI
Stephen Friend is a victim because of his patriotism and ideals. He refused to violate his oath to God and the United States of America. He paid for his beliefs by being fired from his FBI agent job despite his unblemished record. The FBI should be abolished along with the BATF.
Stephen Friend is a victim because of his patriotism and ideals. He refused to violate his oath to God and the United States of America. He paid for his beliefs by being fired from his FBI agent job despite his unblemished record. The FBI should be abolished along with the BATF.
December 4, 2023
Great and Well-Written Saga of a Wronged Whistleblower
I thought the first third of the book flushed out Stephen Friend’s upbringing that drove his desire to go into law enforcement. The second third of the book shares Steve’s FBI cases. Finally, the last third of the book shares about how Stephen’s standing on personal morals led him to put God and his oath to our U.S. Constitution, ran afoul of the FBI. Like many, he believes that the FBI can not be saved. By now, thousands of FBI Special agents have seen and heard how the FBI abuses its power, yet very few have put their integrity and the U.S. Constitution on the line to become a whistleblower. My analysis is that it’s wrong to say that only those special agents who swore an oath to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States residing on the 7th floor of the FBI building are the bad agents only. No, every agent spreading across every city and state locking up Americans for misdemeanor charges, demonstrate that the only good agents are the whistleblowers! Great and entertaining read. Hope Mr. stephen Friend and his fellow whistleblowers receive justice.
I thought the first third of the book flushed out Stephen Friend’s upbringing that drove his desire to go into law enforcement. The second third of the book shares Steve’s FBI cases. Finally, the last third of the book shares about how Stephen’s standing on personal morals led him to put God and his oath to our U.S. Constitution, ran afoul of the FBI. Like many, he believes that the FBI can not be saved. By now, thousands of FBI Special agents have seen and heard how the FBI abuses its power, yet very few have put their integrity and the U.S. Constitution on the line to become a whistleblower. My analysis is that it’s wrong to say that only those special agents who swore an oath to serve and protect the Constitution of the United States residing on the 7th floor of the FBI building are the bad agents only. No, every agent spreading across every city and state locking up Americans for misdemeanor charges, demonstrate that the only good agents are the whistleblowers! Great and entertaining read. Hope Mr. stephen Friend and his fellow whistleblowers receive justice.
February 6, 2025
I hope Friend is hired back under the Trump administration. He was determined to do the right thing, even if it cost him his dream job. Political memoirs like this often involve grandstanding or revenge-seeking, but Friend comes across as humble and earnest.
Despite the inflated rhetoric in some media outlets, the book doesn't actually make any particularly noteworthy claims. Friend reports that some people at the FBI were overestimating the threat of domestic terrorism, and potentially even intentionally overstating it in order to justify more significant action on the part of the FBI. It's not surprising to me that some of the people whose job is to look into fringe militia groups might get carried away and overestimate the danger, just like someone assessing risks from Russia or Iran might do the same. One of the symptoms of America's current state of political polarization is that there are plenty of popular partisan books alleging the other side is about to do something awful and underhanded, and FBI agents monitoring domestic terrorism threats would be remiss if they didn't read some of them. Even intentional exaggeration could easily be explained simply by trying to justify your department's budget. Both of these are real management problems for the FBI, which does need accurate threat assessments to make decisions about how to allocate resources, but neither seems worthy of public attention.
Friend further alleges that the FBI used SWAT teams to arrest people involved in the January 6 United States Capitol attack who were only guilty of nonviolent misdemeanor offenses. Friend finds this unnecessary and hostile. My guess is he's probably right about this too. Excessive use of force is bad for community-police relations and ultimately increases risks for everyone involved. It stirs fear of government that motivates militia groups and evokes memories of the Ruby Ridge standoff. Friend suggests that this kind of response isn't the FBI's usual protocol, but that some at the FBI were framing the January 6 attack as a violent uprising and feared open armed rebellion. Friend finds this all grossly overstated, and suggests these were older men who pose no substantial threat to a law enforcement officer. Regardless of how one chooses to frame the events of January 6th, I'm inclined to trust Friend's judgement that the particular people being investigated were not so dangerous and that some at the FBI were unreasonably panicking over January 6th. We should expect that many of the people who work for the FBI are those who are most devoted to the lawful order, by personality and self-selection, and also by professional socialization. Thus we should further expect this to be a group especially troubled by the potential upset of the lawful order that January 6th symbolically represented. The risk Trump poses to democracy and the constitution is unrelated to the risk of physical danger a Trump supporter represents when the FBI appears at their house.
I think Friend is a fairly trustworthy source who is presenting real problems that FBI administrators should consider carefully. Yet for the American public at large, these are unremarkable claims that needn't concern us. I fear that this book encourages distrust in the FBI and inculcates greater concern about FBI politicization than the facts support. I'm inclined to believe that America would be a better place if we trusted our institutions more. The constitution that Stephen Friend holds dear depends on them.
Despite the inflated rhetoric in some media outlets, the book doesn't actually make any particularly noteworthy claims. Friend reports that some people at the FBI were overestimating the threat of domestic terrorism, and potentially even intentionally overstating it in order to justify more significant action on the part of the FBI. It's not surprising to me that some of the people whose job is to look into fringe militia groups might get carried away and overestimate the danger, just like someone assessing risks from Russia or Iran might do the same. One of the symptoms of America's current state of political polarization is that there are plenty of popular partisan books alleging the other side is about to do something awful and underhanded, and FBI agents monitoring domestic terrorism threats would be remiss if they didn't read some of them. Even intentional exaggeration could easily be explained simply by trying to justify your department's budget. Both of these are real management problems for the FBI, which does need accurate threat assessments to make decisions about how to allocate resources, but neither seems worthy of public attention.
Friend further alleges that the FBI used SWAT teams to arrest people involved in the January 6 United States Capitol attack who were only guilty of nonviolent misdemeanor offenses. Friend finds this unnecessary and hostile. My guess is he's probably right about this too. Excessive use of force is bad for community-police relations and ultimately increases risks for everyone involved. It stirs fear of government that motivates militia groups and evokes memories of the Ruby Ridge standoff. Friend suggests that this kind of response isn't the FBI's usual protocol, but that some at the FBI were framing the January 6 attack as a violent uprising and feared open armed rebellion. Friend finds this all grossly overstated, and suggests these were older men who pose no substantial threat to a law enforcement officer. Regardless of how one chooses to frame the events of January 6th, I'm inclined to trust Friend's judgement that the particular people being investigated were not so dangerous and that some at the FBI were unreasonably panicking over January 6th. We should expect that many of the people who work for the FBI are those who are most devoted to the lawful order, by personality and self-selection, and also by professional socialization. Thus we should further expect this to be a group especially troubled by the potential upset of the lawful order that January 6th symbolically represented. The risk Trump poses to democracy and the constitution is unrelated to the risk of physical danger a Trump supporter represents when the FBI appears at their house.
I think Friend is a fairly trustworthy source who is presenting real problems that FBI administrators should consider carefully. Yet for the American public at large, these are unremarkable claims that needn't concern us. I fear that this book encourages distrust in the FBI and inculcates greater concern about FBI politicization than the facts support. I'm inclined to believe that America would be a better place if we trusted our institutions more. The constitution that Stephen Friend holds dear depends on them.
June 30, 2024
True Blue – Stephen Friend – Completed 07/02/2023
To my wife, J.E.M.; children, B.J.M.; A.N.C.; T.L.L. and their spouses.
This morning coffee book included some afternoon reading time. Very hard to put it down. His story reminded me of the long drawn-out procedure to apply as a Federal Agent. Standard Form 86, is the government form that collects all your life history, supporting documents, the polygraphs, the multitude of interviews, and the travel to get there. At least Stephen here got a second look from the FBI, I didn’t. I found an agency that was a better fit for me anyway. I liked the stories about the training he went through. One that brought a smile to my face was about when a fellow agent got recycled to the class behind him, but what was worse he had to go through CS gas training again just like I did in basic training when I was recycled due to pneumonia. Gassed twice by the government.
Stephen was put into a difficult position by his FBI management, he tried to do the right thing by bringing to their attention with the policy conflicts. Management did not care and was only interested in padding the stats. I am glad he found the courage to do the right thing. His career did not end up as he wished, but he acted based on his integrity, his principles, and his strong sworn devotion to the Constitution. The procedure is spot on how they fire an employee, Stephen resigned after months of waiting. That is a tactic the Government uses, delay in taking any action, receives no paycheck, he quits, case closed. That was a mistake, many times the employee gets reinstated with some other disciplinary action being taken. Sometimes it includes back pay, but not if you quit. He had to quit to testify before Congress.
Many Government employees are placed into similar positions by the management seeking to advance their careers. I saw it happen first hand, in most cases, the employee sucks it up to keep his job. The Government is well aware that failure to act or speak is an action in itself.
I don’t know Stephen Friend, but we could be very good friends. Integrity cannot be taken away from you, you must be willing to give it up.
Love Dad, T.R.M.
To my wife, J.E.M.; children, B.J.M.; A.N.C.; T.L.L. and their spouses.
This morning coffee book included some afternoon reading time. Very hard to put it down. His story reminded me of the long drawn-out procedure to apply as a Federal Agent. Standard Form 86, is the government form that collects all your life history, supporting documents, the polygraphs, the multitude of interviews, and the travel to get there. At least Stephen here got a second look from the FBI, I didn’t. I found an agency that was a better fit for me anyway. I liked the stories about the training he went through. One that brought a smile to my face was about when a fellow agent got recycled to the class behind him, but what was worse he had to go through CS gas training again just like I did in basic training when I was recycled due to pneumonia. Gassed twice by the government.
Stephen was put into a difficult position by his FBI management, he tried to do the right thing by bringing to their attention with the policy conflicts. Management did not care and was only interested in padding the stats. I am glad he found the courage to do the right thing. His career did not end up as he wished, but he acted based on his integrity, his principles, and his strong sworn devotion to the Constitution. The procedure is spot on how they fire an employee, Stephen resigned after months of waiting. That is a tactic the Government uses, delay in taking any action, receives no paycheck, he quits, case closed. That was a mistake, many times the employee gets reinstated with some other disciplinary action being taken. Sometimes it includes back pay, but not if you quit. He had to quit to testify before Congress.
Many Government employees are placed into similar positions by the management seeking to advance their careers. I saw it happen first hand, in most cases, the employee sucks it up to keep his job. The Government is well aware that failure to act or speak is an action in itself.
I don’t know Stephen Friend, but we could be very good friends. Integrity cannot be taken away from you, you must be willing to give it up.
Love Dad, T.R.M.
July 29, 2023
Terrifying account of the weaponization of the FBI. In a conversational tone, Friend provides interesting background information, laying the groundwork as to why he wanted to be an FBI special agent. With his loyalty to the Constitution of the United States and to God, he is the type we would want watching our backs. The author does not just complain about what has happened and is happening at the FBI, but rather also provides possible solutions to correct what is wrong at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
I did have two issues with the book. One was on page 92 where Friend believes a defense attorney intentionally violated his duty to represent his client to the best of his ability; Friend thinks this violation is a good thing and should be honored. The second (on page 97) was one of the worst comments I've read coming from law enforcement (or former law enforcement) where a jury finds a defendant not guilty; Friend's statement that juries are made up of people too dumb to get out of jury duty is insulting to the many people who take such duty seriously and consider it a privilege to serve in support of the 6th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Very disappointing comment that should have been removed during an edit.
Note: I read the Hardback book not the Kindle Edition
I did have two issues with the book. One was on page 92 where Friend believes a defense attorney intentionally violated his duty to represent his client to the best of his ability; Friend thinks this violation is a good thing and should be honored. The second (on page 97) was one of the worst comments I've read coming from law enforcement (or former law enforcement) where a jury finds a defendant not guilty; Friend's statement that juries are made up of people too dumb to get out of jury duty is insulting to the many people who take such duty seriously and consider it a privilege to serve in support of the 6th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Very disappointing comment that should have been removed during an edit.
Note: I read the Hardback book not the Kindle Edition
July 24, 2023
eye opening
Stephen’s book opens up a world that a lot of people don’t see but we now realize exists. How some of these people carry a badge is beyond me and I am a retired from law enforcement and it make me sick. Stephen is a true patriot
Stephen’s book opens up a world that a lot of people don’t see but we now realize exists. How some of these people carry a badge is beyond me and I am a retired from law enforcement and it make me sick. Stephen is a true patriot
December 4, 2024
Great read. Very informative. Disappointing that the FBI is so corrupt. Very happy Kash Patel is on his way in to fix it!!!!
January 29, 2024
I originally purchased this book (on preorder) after seeing an interview with Stephen Friend. I was appalled not only by the politicization and weaponization of the FBI, but by the way Friend was treated. I bought the book as a small financial contribution to an individual with a young family who had just sacrificed his career in order to do the right thing.
The book itself is fine. The first half, in which Friend tells the story of his early career and decisions which led him to the FBI was not particularly compelling, but the second half of the book is detailed an eye-opening. I’m not sure if the FBI can be fixed but appreciate Friend’s courage in exposing the deep corruption within the agency.
The book itself is fine. The first half, in which Friend tells the story of his early career and decisions which led him to the FBI was not particularly compelling, but the second half of the book is detailed an eye-opening. I’m not sure if the FBI can be fixed but appreciate Friend’s courage in exposing the deep corruption within the agency.
July 26, 2023
It is good to learn that some FBI agents still believe in the Constitution and would even be willing to lose his job in order to up hold the Constitution. I think he took to long to get to the chase. The whole reason I was interested in this book is to see how he reacted to Jan 6th. He didn't start talking about it almost the end of the book. It is a good book. And I recommend it.
August 14, 2023
Very intriguing! The book was a page-turner and did not disappoint. Kudos to the author for standing by his convictions, regardless of the consequences. I would've given it a five star if it wasn't for all of the colloquialisms.
June 24, 2023
This had the potential of being a great book… glad the story has been told but it’s not well written and was in fact a major disappointment.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews