Scott Bloch: July 2008 | TPMMuckraker

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Scott Bloch: July 2008

Office Of Special Counsel Has The Same Political Problems As DOJ, Former Workers Say

Andrew Tilghman | July 31, 2008, 5:36PM

The Department of Justice has been taking a lot of heat lately for the inspector general's report detailing pervasive, illegal partisanship among upper-level officials.

But former employees from the Office of Special Counsel say they've been complaining about the exact same problems for more than three years, and the White House is blocking a public report about misconduct in that office.

We often remind you that Special Counsel Scott Bloch is under investigation by the FBI. He's accused of deleting emails -- and possibly obstructing justice -- in an investigation stemming from his employees complaining about the same kind of partisan activity outlined in Monday's report from the DOJ Inspector General.

Now that group of employees who filed that complaint back in 2005 wants the White House to publish a report about their former employer.

A lawyer for the former employees, Avi Kumin, wrote a letter today to the White House Counsel, urging for a formal, public report.

Kumin rattled off several examples of parallels between DOJ and Bloch's office.

My clients' complaint reported that OSC officials hired several career employees primarily because they attended the Christian, conservative (and at the time only provisionally accredited) Ave Maria Law School. ...
My clients reported years ago that Mr. Bloch fired them because of their perceived sexual orientation or perceived support for enforcing sexual orientation protections for federal employees. ...

My clients' compliant about OSC raised significant evidence that Mr. Bloch and his staff evaluated whistleblower and Hatch Act investigations based on partisan politics.

In theory, federal employees who feel they've faced discrimination for partisan or ideological reasons can file a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel. But it's hard to think that would get investigated impartially by an office itself accused of discriminating against people for political agendas.

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Topics: DOJ Office Of The Inspector General, Office Of Special Counsel, Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch

Special Counsel Says He Has No Plans To Resign From Office

Andrew Tilghman | July 30, 2008, 5:47PM

Yesterday we learned that Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote a letter to Special Counsel Scott Bloch urging the embattled chief of the independent investigative office to step down.

Bloch's had a lot of problems lately. He's under investigation by the FBI and his top deputy quit recently complaining about "political agendas" at the office that's supposed to investigate things like misconduct related to political agendas.

Today we see that Bloch promptly fired back, sending Waxman, chairman of the House oversight committee, a terse letter saying he has no plans to resign his post until his term ends next year.

Read the letter here.

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Topics: Henry Waxman, Office Of Special Counsel, Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch

Waxman Joins Chorus Urging Special Counsel To Resign

Andrew Tilghman | July 29, 2008, 10:48AM

Special Counsel Scott Bloch is under investigation by the FBI. His own employees can't stand him. And now pressure is mounting from Capitol Hill for one of Washington's top watchdogs to step down.

House oversight committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent Bloch a letter yesterday urging him to step down from the agency charged with investigating allegations of retaliation against whistle blowers.

The mission of the agency should be the paramount consideration. It is for this reason that I have concluded that OSC would be better served with new leadership and urge you to step down as the Special Counsel. Such a move would be in the best interest of the agency and the federal employees its charged to protect.

Waxman's letter comes after Bloch's chief deputy resigned from the office citing "political agendas."

Up until now, Waxman has been uncharacteristically quiet regarding allegations of Bloch's misconduct, which includes retaliating against whistleblowers in his own office.

The committee's ranking member, Tom Davis (R-VA), called for Bloch's resignation weeks ago.

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Topics: Henry Waxman, Office Of Special Counsel, Oversight Committee, Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch

Deputy At Special Counsel's Office Quits Citing "Political Agendas"

Andrew Tilghman | July 17, 2008, 8:44PM

From the AP:

The second-in-command at the government's top whistle-blower office has quit in a dispute with his boss, whom he accused of putting "political agendas and personal vendettas" ahead of the agency's mission and independence.

James Byrne's resignation as deputy to U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch is effective Saturday. Bloch is under federal investigation, accused of destroying evidence potentially showing he retaliated against his own staff.

"Upon my departure, I am obligated to note that the mission, independence and very existence of the Office of Special Counsel are--and shall remain--at risk unless and until this agency is afforded a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed leader who is capable of putting OSC's mission and OSC's people ahead of political agendas and personal vendettas," Byrne, the deputy special counsel, wrote in a July 10 letter to Bloch that was obtained by The Associated Press.

"This agency, and the people whom we serve, deserve no less."

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Topics: Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch

Chief Deputy Quits Amid Plummeting Morale At Office Of Special Counsel

Andrew Tilghman | July 11, 2008, 11:56AM

Is 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.

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Topics: Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch

Office of Special Counsel To Investigate DOJ Hiring

Kate Klonick | July 2, 2008, 10:30AM

As predicted, there's been lots of fall out from the first report by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General on the hiring practices used by the DOJ.

As the New York Times reports today:

The Office of Special Counsel, an agency that investigates political interference in the federal workplace, let the Justice Department know this week that it would be examining the issues raised in the report "to discuss what our next step should be," said James P. Mitchell, a spokesman for the office.
The special counsel has offered to work with the department "to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted," Mr. Mitchell said. The inspector general's report noted that two department officials who it said were largely responsible for the abuses in 2006, Michael Elston and Esther Slater McDonald, could not face disciplinary action because both had left the department.

But Mr. Mitchell said: "That doesn't rule out others -- those who considered political affiliation in making decisions as well as those who let them do that. This is a prohibited practice, and this is an area that we enforce."

The OSC is no stranger to trouble. It's had its own issues lately, namely that the head of the department, Scott Bloch, is under investigation by the FBI.