The objectives of OSC Watch are to expose US Office of Special Counsel lawbreaking since 1989 in failing to protect, as required by 5 USC 1214, the 10,000 or more federal employees who sought its protection from prohibited personnel practices (PPP’s) - not limited to whistleblower reprisal type PPP, but including the 11 (of 12) types of PPP for which OSC has jurisdiction - particularly the 3000 or so who subsequently filed whistleblower appeals at MSPB; along with MSPB’s enabling lawbreaking failure since 1989, per 5 USC 1204, to conduct oversight of OSC’s compliance with 5 USC 1214;
January 29th, 2008
WASHINGTON — The head of a federal inquiry into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys claims the Justice Department has impeded his investigation.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Michael Mukasey last week, Office of Special Counsel chief Scott J. Bloch said the department has thrown up roadblocks that hindered his investigation.
Specifically, Bloch said, the department’s inspector general and office of legal counsel asked him to step aside until internal investigations are finished.
But that could take months, Bloch wrote, effectively pushing his agency’s role “into the very last months of the administration when there is little hope of any corrective measures or discipline possible.”
The Office of Special Counsel is a small, independent federal agency charged with protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers aren’t subject to reprisal.
Bloch also complained that his attempts to meet with White House Counsel Fred Fielding to discuss the investigation have been rebuffed. The White House did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking comment Tuesday.
The firings of eight U.S. attorneys provoked a backlash on Capitol Hill last year, where lawmakers questioned whether the moves were politically motivated. That undermined the position of Alberto Gonzales, who wound up resigning as attorney general. (A ninth U.S. attorney, Todd Graves in Missouri, said he was forced out).
Bloch’s letter was first reported Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times and MinnPost.com, an online Minnesota news site.
Bloch also complains about the investigation into the performance of Rachel Paulose, who recently stepped down as U.S. attorney for Minnesota amid complaints about her management style, to take a job with the department’s Office of Legal Policy.
He referenced a letter he had sent to Mukasey on Nov. 19 — the same day that Paulose announced her resignation — in which Bloch concluded that there is a “substantial likelihood that U.S. Attorney Paulose has grossly mismanaged” the U.S. attorney’s office “and has engaged in abuses of her authority” in that job.
Bloch’s agency had referred allegations about Paulose to the inspector general’s office, but the office told him by telephone in October that it had “asked around” and wasn’t planning to do anything.
Then in December, according to Bloch, Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis wrote to him, demanding a retraction from Bloch’s “substantial likelihood” finding. That finding was based on allegations made by John Marti, who resigned from his management post as first assistant U.S. Attorney under Paulose.
Bloch bluntly asks Mukasey: “Are you requesting that I report to the president that you refuse to investigate disclosures of wrongdoing made by a career federal prosecutor, an employee of your agency?”
The department’s behavior, Bloch claims, “reveals a disturbing pattern of disregard for the authority of my office.”
In an e-mail, Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said, “We are reviewing the letter and will respond to Mr. Bloch as appropriate.”
Mukasey is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, his first oversight hearing since becoming attorney general.
Bloch himself is under federal investigation for alleged misconduct.
In 2005, a group of current and former Special Counsel employees filed a complaint against him, claiming he retaliated against those who disagreed with his policies through intimidation and involuntary transfers. The Office of Personnel Management is investigating.
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Remember Katrina, FEMA, and Michael Brown and the media attention involving his lack of credentials to do his job. Consider a government-wide practice that routinely pays six figure salaries to political appointees and career bureaucrat financial managers with no 4-year college accounting degrees or CPA certificates. We need to question this time honored practice that costs us untold billions of dollars each year (and now) because this Country’s financial security is in peril.
Traci Hallstrom, a Federal whistleblower, also one of the six original EEO complainant’s and who is the only one left from the original EEO Class complaint who hasn’t backed out, quit, fired, or took another federal job elsewhere; is still getting reprised against for filing protected activity since May 9th, 2005.
Ms Halstrom had her EEOC Hearing during the week of April 24th, 2007 and has still not received a final decision from the Administrative Judge. The AJ had until October 19th, 2007 (180 days) to reach a decision. It has now been over 250 days and still no word. The Office of Special counsel closed Ms Hallstrom’s case because they said they do not get involved in EEO cases. If that is indeed the case then they should remove the clause on their website that they do investigate EEO cases of reprisal.
To: Deena Wilson, EEO Manager, CA BLM State Office
Louis Demas, Complainant’s attorney
CA BLM DOI Solicitor Kevin Mack
EEOC Administrative Judge Jeanne Player
From: Traci Hallstrom, EEO Complainant, BLM Redding, CA Field office
I am filing more EEO complaints with the basis of reprisal on the following:
1) On Monday November 26th, 2007 my supervisor Mike Hoffman emailed
myself and Admin Tech Cindy Person a memo on Workplace Conduct. I feel
this was focused on me because no one else in the office received the memo
and a memo of this kind has never been sent to me in my entire BLM career
and it also violated the Master Union Labor Agreement in which the Union
is filing an Unfair Labor Practice.
2) On Tuesday November 27th, 2007 my supervisor Mike Hoffman emailed
me a revised EPAP adding a Critical Element #5. He also added the same
word for word Critical Element #5 to Cindy Person the Admin Tech. Both of
our Critical Elements #5 were worded exactly the same, however our
Performance Standards were vastly different making my standards impossible
to achieve anything higher than Fully Successful.
******Please Note that in the early hours of November 28th, 2007 I was
seen in the ER at SMRC and then admitted for a mild heart attack due to
occupational stress.
3) On December 3rd, 2007 I filed the proper forms with the CA BLM
State Office HR to go on the voluntary leave share program. My request
was delayed by Mike Hoffman, Field manager Steve Anderson and Asst. field
manager Francis Berg from the Redding field office until December 12th,
2007 which created any chance of more donations that I could have
received.
4) During the week of December 10th, 2007, Assistant field Manager
Francis Berg wrote a memo to the State Office to have me removed from the
BLM system so I could no longer have access to any BLM computer, my work
emails, and all work programs from any BLM computer. This was
inappropriate. Mr. Berg also made copies and placed them in the General
filing box. This violated my privacy. I also should have received a copy
of this memo to my home address and I have not.
5) On December 3rd, 2007 I filed a CA-2 Claim #132183400 with Virginia
Horton the OWCP coordinator on the basis of occupational stress. To this
day, December 18th, 2007 I still have not received a signed copy from my
supervisor Mike Hoffman acknowledging that he received my CA2. He was
mailed a copy via USPS and also in the SMIS system and has never sent me
my receipt of acknowledgment.
6) During the week of December 3rd, 2007, Supervisor Bill Kuntz
removed my personal items from my desk (my plants) and Admin Tech Cindy
Person were laughing about my plants and moving them. They are no longer
at my desk. I am not sure what else of my personal belongings were
removed, but I was never notified.
I am also sending a copy of this email to BLM Solicitor Kevin Mack and
EEOC Administrative Judge Jeanne Player so that everyone is above board on
the events that have been taking place and no one is being left out of the
loop.
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Interview with Joe Carson on his background and the purpose of the organisation he co-founded. This first podcast is an ideal introduction for anyone who is new to OSCwatch.org and it’s aims. Playtime is just over 40 minutes.
If you want to take part in future OSCwatch.org podcasts, or you want more information, please read the updated F.A.Q’s. page here
Since 2005, the Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general has been looking into whether Bloch dismissed whistleblower cases without enough examination and retaliated against employees who opposed his policies.
From arstechnica.com The head of the Office of Special Counsel who is currently leading an investigation into allegations against Karl Rove is taking fire over allegations that he improperly and illegally disposed of documents and files. Since this is the sort of nonsense that only makes sense if you live inside the Ultimate RDF generator (i.e., inside the Beltway), I’ll take a moment and break things down.
There are hundreds of social bookmarking sites on the internet which you’d be forgiven for thinking were purpose designed to spread the word of activism organisations like ours.
Here’s a guide for those of you not “up” on the world of so-called Web 2.0, on how easy and quick it can be to send hundreds, if not thousands of eyes and ears our way, to inform and educate the world about whistle-blower’s concerns, individual cases and all issues surrounding OSCWatch.org’s aims.
You can now leave audio and video comments as well as text comments to each blog / Podcast entry. This is an experimental and constantly updated service from 
Interview with Joe Carson on his background and the purpose of the organisation he co-founded. This first podcast is an ideal introduction for anyone who is new to OSCwatch.org and it’s aims. Playtime is just over 40 minutes.
