Blumenthal says Boeing whistleblower has come forward ahead of Hill hearing on jet maker's problems

The office of Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday – hours before Boeing's CEO testifies on Capitol Hill about the company's safety issues – that a company employee has come forward as a whistleblower.

Blumenthal is a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affair, before which CEO David Calhoun will testify.

The senator's office identified the whistleblower employee as Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance inspector for Boeing in the state of Washington, according to ABC News.

Mohawk reportedly alleges Boeing is cutting corners by losing track of parts that have been labeled as non-conforming or not up to design standards.

The hearing will almost certainly include discussion about the incident in January in which a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 shortly after takeoff.

Previous whistleblowers have accused the Washington, D.C.-area headquartered company of cutting corners on safety practices as it builds aircraft.

A Boeing spokesperson told the news outlet the company on Monday evening received the documents supplied to Blumenthal by the whistleblower and is reviewing the claims.