Henhouse, meet Fox: FBI raids office of Special Counsel Scott Bloch

[BrainGlutton]

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel* is supposed to enforce antidiscrimination policies in federal employment, protect whistleblowers, and enforce the Hatch Act. The FBI just raided the offices of Special Counselor Scott J. Bloch in an investigation of charges of criminal activity, including obstruction of justice and violation of the Hatch Act:

One of Bloch’s first official actions was to refuse to investigate any claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation. When the news of his refusal was leaked to the press, career employees in his office say, Bloch blamed them for the leak. He retaliated, the employees said, by creating a new field office in Detroit and forcing them either to accept assignments there or resign.

<snip>

The Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general has been looking into allegations that Bloch retaliated against career employees and obstructed an investigation. Sources close to the probe said the FBI’s raid this morning was related to work the inspector general had already done.

In addition to concerns about obstruction of justice, investigators are also looking into whether Bloch violated the Hatch Act, a congressional mandate that prohibits employees from using their offices for partisan political purposes.

Bloch has admitted to hiring Geeks on Call — a computer servicing company — to purge his computer and two of his deputies’ computers, sources said. But he said the computers contained a virus, which necessitated a purge. Investigators are looking into whether the purge was meant to destroy evidence related to the current investigation.

Same story covered in the Wall Street Journal.

The good news here, I guess, is that despite the Bush Admin’s unprecedented efforts to bring all the branches of federal bureaucracy (very definitely including the Justice Department) under direct presidential control, the FBI at least is showing some political independence.

• Not to be confused with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel, which investigated the Plame Affair.

[Zebra]

So somebody does watch the watchmen? About time!

[Otto]

One earlier thread about Bloch’s shenanigans

Another thread

[BrainGlutton]

In case there’s any confusion, I was designating Bloch, not the FBI, as the Fox set to guard the Henhouse.

[mlees]

Heh. I thought the “Fox” in your title was Fox News.

[BrainGlutton]

The Washington Post has more extensive coverage.

Apparently the real initiator of the action here is not the FBI but the Office of Personnel Management.

[Ludovic]

[QUOTE=mlees]
Heh. I thought the “Fox” in your title was Fox News.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I thought this was gonna be a Fox reality show about a chicken ranch.

[jayjay]

As I commented over at Daily Kos, this situation has me confused…are there any good guys? Or are these just one faction of the Mayberry Mafia starting a turf war with another faction? Who do I cheer for here?

[BrainGlutton]

[QUOTE=jayjay]
As I commented over at Daily Kos, this situation has me confused…are there any good guys? Or are these just one faction of the Mayberry Mafia starting a turf war with another faction? Who do I cheer for here?
[/QUOTE]

Bloch is the one who has not been doing his job and might well have been doing the opposite of his job. Cheer for anyone taking him down, regardless of motives.

[Zebra]

Hasn’t that been the M.O. of the Bush adminstration? Putting someone in charge of something they are opposed to doing.

[BrainGlutton]

[QUOTE=Zebra]
Hasn’t that been the M.O. of the Bush adminstration? Putting someone in charge of something they are opposed to doing.
[/QUOTE]

Heck, it’s a Pub tradition since the Reagan Admin. Remember James Watt and Anne Gorsuch?

[Squink]

NPR’s piece:

One subpoena demanded information about Bloch’s 2004 investigation into whether Rice violated the Hatch Act by using federal money to campaign for President Bush’s re-election. Bloch found no wrongdoing by Rice.
Another subpoena focused on Lurita Doan, who resigned last week as head of the General Services Administration. Bloch’s office had been investigating Doan. The White House asked her to resign amid accusations that she gave contracts to friends and abused her office for political purposes.

With a little luck the two could share a cell.

[waterj2]

Way back in 2005, the Boston Phoenix had this to say of Bloch:

Three million employees of the federal government rely on one fairly obscure office for protection against job discrimination, retaliation for whistle-blowing, political hackery, secrecy, and partisanship. Tragically, the man who runs that agency, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), is a gay-hating, secretive, partisan, political hack.

and

In other words, according to Bloch, discrimination against an employee for having same-sex relationships can be investigated by the OSC, but discrimination against an employee simply for being homosexual cannot, because that is not conduct. This tortured reading of the statute is contrary to White House and OSC interpretation dating to the Reagan administration.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/22000/

[Steve_MB]

[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
The Washington Post has more extensive coverage.
[/QUOTE]

From that account:

During the probe, Bloch hired the technology service Geeks on Call to erase his computer hard drive and those of two aides, giving rise to new allegations that he was obstructing justice.

He entrusted a computer containing confidential (and, it would seem, incriminating) government documents to Geeks On Call?? :eek: :smack:

[Tuckerfan]

[QUOTE=Steve MB]
From that account:
He entrusted a computer containing confidential (and, it would seem, incriminating) government documents to Geeks On Call?? :eek: :smack:
[/QUOTE]

So, does this mean we can expect illegally taken naked cellphone photos of Dana Perino to show up on the web? 'Cause that’d be hot.

[BrainGlutton]

Hmmm . . . interesting . . . today Democracy Now! has a slightly different take on this story:

Bloch has been accused of obstructing a 2006 inquiry into his conduct. But critics say the FBI could be trying to intimidate Bloch as he leads probes into the Bush administration. Bloch’s investigations have focused on the firing of US attorneys and the alleged use of federal agencies for political ends.

Watch for further developments . . .

[Jurph]

[QUOTE=Tuckerfan]
So, does this mean we can expect illegally taken naked cellphone photos of Dana Perino to show up on the web? 'Cause that’d be hot.
[/QUOTE]

You know, as a taxpayer I have been getting very little for my tax dollar over the last eight years. Suddenly I know precisely what kind of reparations I want.

[BrainGlutton]

A leading House Pub calls on Bloch to resign.

[BrainGlutton]

There are now indications that Bloch was responsible for shutting down an investigation as to possible political motivation behind the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.

[elucidator]

[QUOTE=Jurph]
You know, as a taxpayer I have been getting very little for my tax dollar over the last eight years. Suddenly I know precisely what kind of reparations I want.
[/QUOTE]

You bastards! (..sob…) You leave Dana alone! (…blubber…) She tries so hard, and you just tear her down…