GAP Praises White House Commitment to Whistleblowers

[ProSense]

GAP Praises White House Commitment to Whistleblowers

on September 22, 2011.

(Washington, DC) -- The Government Accountability Project (GAP) today praised Tuesday’s White House release of the U.S. National Action Plan that emphasizes intensified support for protection of federal employee whistleblowers. The plan is part of a new global transparency initiative by the Obama administration.

GAP Legal Director Tom Devine commented, “We welcome President Obama’s much-needed, renewed support for government whistleblower rights. The last election was supposed to be a voter protest against government fraud, waste and abuse. But the newly-elected House majority has not even introduced a bill to provide rights for whistleblowers who risk their careers for those goals.”

The White House commitment was as follows (italicized):

Strengthen and Expand Whistleblower Protection for Government Personnel

Employees with the courage to report wrongdoing are a government’s best defense against waste, fraud and abuse. Federal law clearly prohibits retaliation against most government employees who blow the whistle, but some employees have diminished protections, and judicially-created loopholes have left others without an adequate remedy. To address these problems, we will:

• Advocate for Legislation to Reform and Expand Whistleblower Protections. Recently, Congress nearly enacted legislation that would eliminate loopholes in existing protections, provide protections for employees in the intelligence community, and create pilot programs to explore potential structural reforms in the remedial process. The Administration will continue to work with Congress to enact this legislation.
  
  
• Explore utilization of Executive Branch Authority to Implement Reforms if Congress is Unwilling to Act. Statutory reform is preferable, but if Congress remains deadlocked, the Administration will explore options for utilizing executive branch authority to strengthen and expand whistleblower protections.”

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[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t

[Swede]

2. The talking points have not arrived.

Geez

[zipplewrath]

3. Look forward

Anyone blowing the whistle on torturers will be told to look forward, not backwards.

After all, Obama "has the backs" of tortures who stayed withing the "four corners" of the Bush torture policies.

[ProSense]

4. Well

"Anyone blowing the whistle on torturers will be told to look forward, not backwards."

...does that mean the actions in should be dismissed?

Bank ordered to reinstate fired employee and pay $930,000

[jenmito]

5. K&R. I'm sure this thread will have lots and lots of positive responses once people

realize this thread is here. :sarcasm:

[ProSense]

6. Of course not

the President doesn't deserve an ounce of credit for anything, that is unless he's being credited with being Bush!

[TheWraith]

7. I will be so fucking glad when this place finally goes back to election mode. nt

[FrenchieCat]

8. Will be missing quite a few posters,

who cannot bring themselves to praising anything but their own so-called intelligence. :shrug:

[TheWraith]

10. "Missing" probably isn't the word I'd use about them. ;) nt

[ThomCat]

9. Obama's War on Whistleblowers

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/05/obamas-war-whistle-blowers/38106/

"The extent to which the administration is prosecuting leakers has troubled those who see leakers as speakers of truth to power. "In President Obama’s 26 months in office, civilian and military prosecutors have charged five people in cases involving leaking information, more than all previous presidents combined," reports the Times."


http://www.whistleblower.org/storage/documents/WWHfinal.pdf

Whistle blower Witchhunts: The Smokescreen Syndrome
From the Government Accountability Project, 2010


http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2011/05/22/thomas-drake-appearing-on-cbs-60-minutes-may-22-in-his-first-television-interview/

National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake appearing on CBS 60 Minutes May 22 in his first television interview

Thomas Drake, who disclosed evidence of multi-billion dollar corruption and mismanagement in the NSA and illegal domestic surveillance, faces retaliatory prosecution under the Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers. He will be appearing on a special two-hour episode of 60 Minutes to discuss these critical issues.


http://www.wattscookinblog.com/2011/01/two-faced-obama-has-whistleblower-in-solitary-confinement/

One of many sites that discuss the way the Obama administration has treated whistle blower Bradley Manning.



It is very interesting that this administration would be potentially interested in advancing laws that might help whistleblowers in the future somehow, while being so hostile to every whistleblower they can find.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Aww come on. He can do better than that.

Give us whistleblower protection to turn in crooked lawyers. Now THAT would make a difference in this country.