Two pieces of note for whistleblowers and their supporters from Government Executive.
One reported on a survey that posed this question, which was answered by nearly 700 federal workers.
Please complete the following sentence: “The attacks on the whistleblower by President Trump and various Congressional Republicans have made it ________ likely that I will report
Rep. Maxine Waters issued an open letter to potential whistleblowers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) late last week.The California Democrat’s letter was addressed to agency employees who witness waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement. It asks that they “please do not hesitate to alert me and my staff” if they witness any such bureaucratic misconduct. Her action was in response to reports of low morale at the agency.
In a Monday Washington Post column about Waters’ letter, Stephen M. Kohn, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center, agreed — with a caveat: “Whistleblowers are protected by federal law . . . Given the problems with federal whistleblower protection, we recommend that any whistleblower approaching Congress ensure that they can maintain anonymity.” He’s also noted that the system does not offer federal employees rewards, and access to federal court jury trials is limited. In addition, the WPA does not apply to intelligence and national security agencies.
Continue Reading When Congress calls for whistleblowers, federal employees need to know their rights before answering
“Roan @ The Gates” is new play about a whistleblower and how her actions impact her marriage. The play just ended a run at Luna Stage in West Orange, New Jersey
Outspoken civil rights attorney Nat and her NSA analyst wife Roan seem to have it all together. But when their personal life collides with national security, it launches a beautiful, high-stakes adventure that illuminates the cost of secrecy.
In the real world, whistleblowers were credited last week with reporting concerns to Congress about a White House plan to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.
Continue Reading The drama of whistleblowing, on stage and in the White House
The Trump Administration has signed the Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act (S. 1869) into law, permanently reauthorizing the Whistleblower Protection Coordinator position in all federal agencies’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
Special Counsel Henry Kerner stated: “This an important step to ensure whistleblowers who disclose waste, fraud, and abuse know their rights and are protected.”
Continue Reading Whistleblower Protection Coordination Act Passed into Law