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: Linda Lewis
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…
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…
“Ag-gag” law violates free speech rights of whistle-blowers, rules federal judge
A federal judge declared unconstitutional Monday an anti-whistleblower law in Idaho that criminalized audiovisual recordings of agricultural production facilities. In the decision, Chief District Judge B. Lynn Winmill wrote that Idaho Code § 18-7042 “not only restricts more speech than necessary, it…
Anonymous whistleblowers face daunting security challenges
The success of Edward Snowden’s disclosure of National Security Agency surveillance hinged on measures he took to prevent government detection of his communications with journalists. His contact, Laura Poitras, describes using similar measures to avoid tipping off authorities, who would…