Distribution via the Unanswered Questions Wire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 28, 2005
11:28 AM
Government Fails to Protect Employees Who Blow the Whistle on National and Homeland Security Weaknesses
WASHINGTON -- April 28 -- Even after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the government has failed to create a safe
haven for employees to bring forward their concerns about national security and homeland security weaknesses, according
to a report released today by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). The report release coincides with an event
held today by the new National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, who are lobbying the Congress for more protections
(see Press Advisory).
Before the 9/11 attacks, whistleblowers such as the FBI's Colleen Rowley and the Transportation Security
Administration's Bogdan Dzakovic vainly tried to persuade their agencies to address security weaknesses. If the
government listened to them, the attacks might have prevented. Instead, for their patriotic efforts, they faced
retaliation by their superiors. Despite Time Magazine naming 2002 "The Year of the Whistleblower," government employees
face a far less glamorous reality: Being fired, harassed or blacklisted by their agencies.
Whistleblowers at most government agencies including the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and
the Defense of Department (civilian employees) who seek protections under the now defunct Whistleblower Protection Act,
find that it has been dismantled in recent years by a series of judicial rulings that are hostile to whistleblowers.
But many whistleblowers, including those at the FBI, CIA and Transportation Security Administration (airport baggage
screeners) were never protected by laws that would allow them to go to court to challenge the retaliation. Instead, they
are resigned to appealing to people inside their agency for help help which almost never comes but, rather, results in
more retaliation aimed at silencing their criticisms and concerns.
For example, last month, National Security Agency intelligence analyst Russ Tice was forced to report to an off-site
government warehouse where he unloaded trucks. His crime? Reporting that a co-worker might be a Chinese spy. Tice awaits
the result of a hearing held to determine whether he will lose his security clearance, a move that might stop his career
short.
Last week, FBI agent Robert Wright was stripped of his badge and notified that he would be fired in 30 days. Like
Colleen Rowley, Wright had expressed concerns about the handling of investigations into terrorism suspects. Wright's
plight prompted columnist Bob Novak to author a column titled "Muzzling FBI's Whistle" after the FBI launched its fourth
retaliatory investigation to harass him in 2003.
FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds similarly expressed her doubts about the agency's ability to pursue terrorists given
numerous problems in its translation unit. Despite the fact that the FBI confirmed her allegations had merit, as did the
Inspector General, she has faced a protracted legal struggle against powerful secrecy rules imposed upon her.
Three years after blowing the whistle, Bogdan Dzakovic of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is still
being tormented by superiors at his agency. Dzakovic came forward with compelling information about how his commando Red
Team was easily able to infiltrate airports with weapons prior to 9/11. Despite Dzakovic's considerable expertise, he
spends his time at TSA doing such menial tasks as punching holes in training manuals and updating the agency phonebook.
"Congress has been derelict in its duty of ensuring that government employees can feel safe enough to express their
concerns. Whistleblower retaliation sends a clear message to employees: Don't bother risking your career to improve
homeland security. Security weaknesses fester under the cloak of government secrecy," said Danielle Brian, Executive
Director of POGO.
In the coming days, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) is expected to introduce legislation which would extend genuine whistleblower
protections to government and corporate whistleblowers.
POGO's report "Homeland and National Security Whistleblower Protections: The Unfinished Agenda," can be viewed here
(Adobe Acrobat
file) http://www.pogo.org/m/gp/wbr2005/WBR-04282005.pdf . To learn more about the National Security Whistleblower's Coalition which is organized by Sibel Edmonds, visit her
website http://www.justacitizen.org.
POGO investigates, exposes, and seeks to remedy systemic abuses of power, mismanagement, and subservience by the
federal government to powerful special interests. Founded in 1981, POGO is a politically-independent, nonprofit watchdog
that strives to promote a government that is accountable to the citizenry.
********
STANDARD DISCLAIMER FROM UQ.ORG: UnansweredQuestions.org does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the above
article. We present this in the interests of research -for the relevant information we believe it contains. We hope that
the reader finds in it inspiration to work with us further, in helping to build bridges between our various
investigative communities, towards a greater, common understanding of the unanswered questions which now lie before us.