On August 12, an anonymous individual field a whistleblower complaint with Michael Atkinson, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. In a letter, addressed to House and Senate intelligence committee chairs, the whistleblower described a situation of “urgent” importance. In…
Category: authors
Brave whistleblowers still face overwhelming odds
In a recent article, “Democrats on Capitol Hill ask White House not to gag federal employees“, the Washington Post quotes from a Congressional letter to President Trump. “As the new Administration seeks to better understand what problems exist in this area,…
Child health whistleblower Vikki Mata appeals for donations
Oregon whistleblower Vikki Mata is requesting donations to cover the cost ($6,000) of court transcripts. She must order the transcripts by February 6 in order to appeal a ruling in her case that barred favorable expert testimony.
President Obama reduces Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence
The White House announced Tuesday that President Obama has commuted whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s 35-year prison sentence, allowing her to be released from Fort Leavenworth on May 17, 2017. Manning’s sentence, wrote the New York Times, was “the longest ever handed down in…
Intelligence officials leak surprise decision in whistleblower case
The Project on Government Oversight reports that a three-person panel authorized by Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive 19 concluded last May that the National Security Agency’s inspector general retaliated against a whistleblower. Based on that information, Director Michael Rogers sent IG…
Our Hero in Flint
Story by Tom Nugent and Laura Silverman Published in the September 2016 issue of At Buffalo (SUNY at Buffalo). Re-published with permission When civil engineer Marc Edwards (BS ’86) warned Michigan state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that lead-contaminated drinking water…
Congress awaits TSA explanation for whistleblower’s treatment
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform wants an explanation from the Transportation Security Agency for its treatment of Robert MacLean, whose disclosure foiled TSA plans to pull air marshals off long distance commercial flights after the 9/11…
Thirty years after NASA disaster, whistleblower’s identity revealed
Thirty years ago today, the space shuttle Challenger exploded less than 2 minutes after lift-off, killing all seven astronauts on board. A fe months later, two engineers talked about the disaster to National Public Radio on condition of anonymity, They…
A Christmas movie for whistleblowers
For the whistleblower in search of Christmas entertainment, look no further than the 1947 film classic, “Miracle on 34th Street.” The plot is a classic whistleblowing situation: A principled employee observes unethical and possibly illegal conduct and is subjected to…
North Carolinians welcome truth-tellers
North Carolinians gave truth-tellers a good reception last week in Asheville, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Durham. John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative who exposed torture of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo prison, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at North Carolina…