Personal About Politics: Feds Blow the Whistle on Scott Bloch and The Office Of Special Counsel, While Bush Wishes for a Magic Wand

                             

 The Office of Special Counsel is the administrative office responsible for protecting government whistle-blowers. Scott Bloch, head of OSC and long time Bushie, is now accused of retaliation against his employees and obstruction of justice. In other words, while he was supposed to be protecting whistle-blowers, somebody needed to blow the whistle on him.

Bloch came to Washington in 2001 from Kansas to work on the president's "faith-based" initiatives in the Justice Department. In 2003 he was recommended to head the OSC because of his background in employment law.

Immediately after taking the position he abruptly ordered more than 20 percent of his headquarters legal and investigative staff to relocate or be fired. According to a letter of protest filed by three national whistleblower watchdog groups, those targeted for forced moves were all career employees hired before Bloch became Special Counsel, as part of a purge to stifle dissent and re-staff the agency with handpicked loyalists. (PEER)

He also began to stir up controversy a few months later by deciding, "The Office of Special Counsel would no longer pursue discrimination cases based on an employee's sexual orientation." 

Several members of his office leaked Bloch's decision to the press. He allegedly retaliated, ordering those employees to relocate from Washington to a newly created Detroit office or lose their jobs. (Federal Times)

He is also accused of retaliating against any employee who disagreed with his policies and also of tossing out legitimate whistle-blower cases to reduce the office backlog.  Bloch's employees blew the whistle on him and this prompted an investigation by the Office of Personnel Management inspector general's office. (Sourcewatch)

"This crude purge attempt is just the latest stage in Scott Bloch's reign of terror at the Special Counsel," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "The only thing this Special Counsel has brought to the merit system is new techniques for circumventing it."

Bloch denies the accusations, saying that under his leadership the agency has grown more efficient and receptive to whistle-blowers.

That is unless you work in his office.

"Federal employees can hardly count on Mr. Bloch to defend them from the same harassment tactics he is perfecting against his own staff," contended Tom Devine, Legal Director of the Government Accountability Project, pointing to the fact that OSC staff lawyers feel that they must hire lawyers to defend themselves from Bloch. (PEER)

In February 2007, Elizabeth Williamson wrote in the Washington Post,
"The 16-month investigation has been beset by delays, accusations and counter-accusations. The latest problem began two weeks ago, when Bloch's deputy sent staffers a memo asking them to inform OSC higher-ups when investigators contact them. Further, the memo read, employees should meet with investigators in the office, in a special conference room. Some employees cried foul, saying the recommendations made them afraid to be interviewed in the probe.

"The OSC's memo, the group said, 'was only the latest in a series of actions by Bloch to obstruct' the investigation. Other actions have included suggestions that all witnesses interviewed...provide Bloch with affidavits describing what they had been asked and how they responded." 

Bloch appears to have obstructed the investigation into his alleged retaliation by having his laptop computer wiped clean in December 2006 by an outside computer repair firm, Geeks on Call. That incident has become part of the OPM IG probe: Investigators want to know if Bloch deleted documents relating to the alleged retaliation case, although they don't know what might have been erased.

It all came to a head last week when the FBI raided the OSC offices as well as Bloch's home. Several desktop computers, including Bloch's, along with boxes of documents were confiscated by the feds. The FBI confirmed the raid, saying that agents Tuesday had "conducted a number of court-authorized federal search warrants," related to the Office of Special Counsel. (NY TIMES)

Bloch is apparently on his own since he has made enemies within the administration and the Republican Party by investigating numerous Bush administration figures. He investigated — and subsequently cleared — then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice for possible Hatch Act violations in 2004. And last year, he investigated whether the chief of the General Services Administration, Lurita Doan, and top White House advisers Karl Rove and Scott Jennings violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from using their positions to advance a political party or candidate. (Federal Times)

The general consensus was that the investigations by Bloch were made to detract from the investigation of his own office.

"The irony is overwhelming – how could the federal protector of whistleblowers make a bigger mockery of his agency's mission than this?" asked Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project On Government Oversight. "The pattern of behavior from the Special Counsel certainly indicates he took this job to dismantle the office, rather than its mission." (PEER)

Maybe that was his job after all. Dismantle the office to protect businesses from whistle-blowers.

Bush's Magic Wand

On his April 29 press conference President Bush responded to a question about the high price of gas.

"The American people have got to understand that, here in the White House, we're concerned about high gas prices."

Of course they are.

"If there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course,'' the president said, standing beneath an overcast sky on a chilly morning outside the Oval Office. "If there was a magic wand, I'd say, 'Drop price...' There is no magic wand right now." (The Swamp)

Bush with a magic wand? Now that's a scary proposition! Can't you just see it?

"How do I use this thing?"

"What are the magic words again? Aba Daba Do?"

"Oops. Sorry there, Dick. Listen, I'm sure it will wear off soon."

"Nobody step on the rat."



Cheri Cabot – Political Correspondent

Cheri's column, "Personal About Politics", published weekly, will reflect on how the life of a 58 year-old, middle class woman is affected by politics, policy and the current state of the nation - a look at the personal aspects of politics. The articles will be posted to Politics.gather.com as part of Gather Essentials.

Cheri is a single, freelance writer living in Southern California.  She has two grown children, one in Iowa and one at Columbia University, and is the proud grandmother of two. Cheri is also a purveyor of fine coffee, warm chatter and dry wit.

You can find all of Cheri's columns on Personal About Politics at www.ccabot.gather.com.