Washington, D.C. October 24, 2008. On October 20, it was reported that Office of Special Counsel chief Scott Bloch submitted his resignation to President Bush, effective January 5th. Bloch has had more than his share of issues while attempting to lead the independent agency charged with investigating federal government whistleblower complaints. He has dealt with whistleblower complaints against his agency, and an FBI Investigation into allegations that he hired the “Geek Squad” to wipe agency computers clean. The Washington Post reports today that Bloch has been forced out of office by the White House. View article.
In May 2007, the National Whistleblowers Center sent a survey to all of the Presidential candidates. One of the questions asked in that survey dealt with ensuring the Office of Special Counsel was committed to protecting whistleblowers. The NWC asked:
Under the Whistleblower Protection Act, the President appoints
a Special Counsel whose major job is supposed to be the
protection of federal employee whistleblowers. If elected
President, are you committed to ensuring that the people
appointed as the Special Counsel have expertise in
whistleblower law and a firm commitment to protecting
whistleblowers?
Senator Obama answered “Yes” to this question. The McCain Campaign never responded to the survey. View the Survey and the responses from all candidates.
See the Whistleblowers Blog for more information.
