FBI whistleblowers face retaliation and dismissal from mainstream media.

The media has been criticized for dismissing FBI whistleblowers and being in "lockstep defending the FBI," according to Kim Strassel of The Wall Street Journal. Strassel also noted that the media is supposed to question government power, especially in law enforcement agencies, but has failed to do so. Meanwhile, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace called the FBI whistleblowers "guilty of insubordination," a claim that was echoed by some Democrat members during the House hearing. Strassel argued that the concerns raised by the whistleblowers are legitimate and that the focus should be on the top executives of the FBI in Washington, D.C.