A federal court-appointed monitor is investigating United Auto Worker President Shawn Fain over allegations of abusing his power as union leader.

The monitor, attorney Neil Barofsky, has alleged that Mr. Fain and other union leaders have attempted to interfere with the investigation, which potentially violates a 2020 consent decree between the UAW and the Justice Department that stopped a federal takeover of the union, according to documents filed to the U.S. District Court in Michigan.

“The Monitor has attempted for months to garner the Union’s cooperation in gathering the information needed to conduct a full investigation, but the Union has effectively slow-rolled the Monitor’s access to requested documents,” the court filing says.

The court appointed Mr. Barofksy as monitor in 2021 after the union faced a corruption scandal that resulted in a couple of former presidents facing federal jail time.

He launched an investigation in February to look into abuse of power allegations, including from Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock, who said she was fired for showing “refusal or reluctance to authorize certain expenditures.”

The court filing also says the union has not quickly supplied the monitor with the documents Mr. Barofksy requested. Officials have provided “a very small portion” or 2,600 documents of roughly 116,000, and the delay could violate the consent decree.

“Taking our union in a new direction means sometimes you have to rock the boat, and that upsets some people who want to keep the status quo, but our membership expects better and deserves better than the old business as usual,” Mr. Fain said Monday in a statement.

“We encourage the Monitor to investigate whatever claims are brought to their office, because we know what they’ll find: a UAW leadership committed to serving the membership, and running a democratic union,” the union leader said. “We’re staying focused on winning record contracts, growing our union, and fighting for economic and social justice on and off the job.”

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.