Chief Deputy Quits Amid Plummeting Morale At Office Of Special CounselIs there anyone over at the Office of Special Counsel who is still loyal to thier boss, Scott Bloch?
Apparently bad morale reaches all the way up Bloch’s inner circle.
The Special Counsel’s top deputy, Jim Byrne, resigned yesterday and we heard it’s due to frustrations with his boss — and the White House’s apparent refusal to take any action.
NPR heard the same thing:
Sources close to Byrne describe this as a resignation in protest over the way the office has been run under Special Counsel Scott Bloch.
Bloch, appointed to be Washington’s top investigator for allegations of retaliating against whislteblowers, has struggled ever since he came under investigation for retaliating against whislteblowers himself.
That FBI raid was pretty embarrassing.
Byrne didn’t mention Bloch at all in his terse farewell email to colleagues:
Colleagues,As you may have heard, I am resigning my career Senior Executive Service position as Deputy Special Counsel effective July 19, 2008. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded during my time at OSC, and I leave with a deep admiration for all of you — the men and women who dedicate their lives to safeguarding the merit system and to protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to tend to prior to my departure. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
All the best,
Jim
A spokesman for Bloch’s office did not return a call for comment.
By our count, Bloch has been through at least three deputies since he took office in 2004.