First, our panel discussion looks at National Security Whistleblowers. What happens when workers uncover corruption, but releasing the proof would be a federal offense? What happens when those charged with determining whether information is classified decide that everything should be, for non-security related reasons? What are the issues facing truth-tellers who deal with classified information? We discuss the over-classification of materials, contractor responsibility databases, and the role of Inspectors General. Guests for this segment include Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project on Government Oversight, and Meredith Fuchs, General Counsel to the National Security Archive.
Then, we sit down with Bogdan Dzakovic, former leader of the FAA Red Team. Prior to 9/11, this elite counter-terrorism unit tested aviation security in airports around the world. Dzakovic was the units leader from 1995 until September 11, 2001. For several years prior to the 9/11 attacks, Dzakovic tried to improve aviation security in the face of the ever-increasing terrorist threat. When the gravity of his reports fell upon deaf ears, he notified members in both houses of Congress. In October 2001, he filed a Whistleblower Protection Act disclosure complaint against the FAA. Once the complaint was received, he was immediately removed from his Red Team leadership position. He now works for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). His current assignments include tasks such as hole-punching, updating agency phonebooks, and thumb-twiddling.
This episode was filmed on November 14, 2008.
