Hopefully, she will one day be rightfully reinstated in her job as Chief of her beloved U.S. Park Police; but even now, Teresa Chambers is going above and beyond the call of duty to perform a vital service not only for her own career but also for our nation as a whole: Those who would intimidate and silence would-be whistleblowers must not be allowed to succeed, particularly when the very security of America is at stake.
A Very Special Special Agent
Mike German loved the FBI; to his credit, he still does, even though certain members of its leadership drove him out for telling the truth.
One of the specialties of this special agent was infiltrating groups of militias, skinheads, and other homegrown terrorists. In 2002 Agent German was called upon by the Tampa, Florida, office to take part in an undercover investigation to determine if a money-laundering operation, perhaps funded by a drug ring, was funneling money to terrorists overseas. Although the lead would eventually prove to be false, at the time it seemed promising to the agents involved.
But as months passed, problems amassed. Leads were not followed, meetings with informants were not documented, laws governing wiretaps were not obeyed. Ever the professional, Agent German alerted his supervisors that the case was being "seriously mishandled."
But the supervisors took no timely corrective action. In fact, about the only "corrective action" that seems to have been taken was the backdating of documents ("White Out" was one weapon of choice in this assault on the truth).
As the violations of policy and law became more blatant, Agent German became more outspoken; in 2003 he e-mailed his complaints to the Director of the FBI, Robert S. Mueller III, who has a reputation of supporting honest whistleblowers.
But instead of being hailed as a hero, Agent German became shunned as a pariah, by agents from Florida to Oregon and Washington, DC. Perhaps most devastating to his career, Agent German was shut out of prized undercover teaching assignments by the head of the FBI undercover unit, who told another agent that German would "never work another undercover case."
Although the bulk of his claims have been substantiated in a recent report by the inspector general of the Department of Justice, Agent German is no longer with the FBI. In an interview, he has said: "I still love the FBI. And I know that there are good, honest, hard-working agents out there trying to do the right thing; and this hurts all of them."
Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has stated: "Unfortunately, this is just another case in a long line of FBI whistleblowers who have had their careers derailed because the FBI couldn't tolerate criticism."
And since 9/11, many of these cases of retaliation have involved federal investigations into suspected terrorist operations (which sounds ever so much like what happened to Valerie Plame, now leaving the CIA).
Silencing Whistleblowers in General
Consider this report, released the same day as the 9/11 Commission Report above (December 5, 2005) by PEER:
"WHISTLEBLOWERS GET NO HELP FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION -- Record Numbers Are Blowing the Whistle but Fewer Cases Investigated
"Washington, DC -- The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the agency that is supposed to protect federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse, is dismissing hundreds of cases while advancing almost none. ... Despite record numbers of federal employees filing whistleblower disclosures and complaints of retaliation, there are fewer investigations and a much greater likelihood that those who blow the whistle will be silenced.
"Scott Bloch, the Bush appointed Special Counsel, has been in office for nearly two years, during which time positive results for whistleblowers have plummeted. ...
A Very Special Special Agent
Mike German loved the FBI; to his credit, he still does, even though certain members of its leadership drove him out for telling the truth.
One of the specialties of this special agent was infiltrating groups of militias, skinheads, and other homegrown terrorists. In 2002 Agent German was called upon by the Tampa, Florida, office to take part in an undercover investigation to determine if a money-laundering operation, perhaps funded by a drug ring, was funneling money to terrorists overseas. Although the lead would eventually prove to be false, at the time it seemed promising to the agents involved.
But the supervisors took no timely corrective action. In fact, about the only "corrective action" that seems to have been taken was the backdating of documents ("White Out" was one weapon of choice in this assault on the truth).
As the violations of policy and law became more blatant, Agent German became more outspoken; in 2003 he e-mailed his complaints to the Director of the FBI, Robert S. Mueller III, who has a reputation of supporting honest whistleblowers.
But instead of being hailed as a hero, Agent German became shunned as a pariah, by agents from Florida to Oregon and Washington, DC. Perhaps most devastating to his career, Agent German was shut out of prized undercover teaching assignments by the head of the FBI undercover unit, who told another agent that German would "never work another undercover case."
Although the bulk of his claims have been substantiated in a recent report by the inspector general of the Department of Justice, Agent German is no longer with the FBI. In an interview, he has said: "I still love the FBI. And I know that there are good, honest, hard-working agents out there trying to do the right thing; and this hurts all of them."
Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has stated: "Unfortunately, this is just another case in a long line of FBI whistleblowers who have had their careers derailed because the FBI couldn't tolerate criticism."
And since 9/11, many of these cases of retaliation have involved federal investigations into suspected terrorist operations (which sounds ever so much like what happened to Valerie Plame, now leaving the CIA).
Silencing Whistleblowers in General
Consider this report, released the same day as the 9/11 Commission Report above (December 5, 2005) by PEER:
"WHISTLEBLOWERS GET NO HELP FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION -- Record Numbers Are Blowing the Whistle but Fewer Cases Investigated
"Washington, DC -- The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the agency that is supposed to protect federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse, is dismissing hundreds of cases while advancing almost none. ... Despite record numbers of federal employees filing whistleblower disclosures and complaints of retaliation, there are fewer investigations and a much greater likelihood that those who blow the whistle will be silenced.
"Scott Bloch, the Bush appointed Special Counsel, has been in office for nearly two years, during which time positive results for whistleblowers have plummeted. ...
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