Nuclear Whistleblowers Protected the Public from Disaster. Now We Must Protect their Right to Speak Up. A new Netflix documentary released this spring, Meltdown: Three Mile Island, traced how brazen nuclear safety violations in the Three Mile Island (TMI) cleanup threatened a full meltdown that would’ve taken out the East Coast. It was prevented only [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2022 The Vital Role of Whistleblower Protections for Law Enforcement Officers Government Accountability Project publishes landmark report recommending urgent law reform to promote police accountability. WASHINGTON – A new report published by Government Accountability Project entitled “Breaking The Blue Wall of Silence: The Vital Role of Whistleblower Protections for [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2022 Farmer Whistleblower Testifies before Congress about the Impacts of Corporate Concentration on America’s Chicken Farmers WASHINGTON – Farmer whistleblower and Government Accountability Project client Trina McClendon testified this week before the US House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, on "Reviving Competition, [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2022 Government Accountability Project Applauds House Passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, a voting rights bill that will ensure voters can safely and freely cast their ballots, protect against [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 6, 2022 On Anniversary of January 6 Attack, Government Accountability Project Calls on Whistleblowers to Come Forward WASHINGTON – One year after the nation witnessed a violent attack on not only the U.S. Capitol building, but on democracy itself, Government Accountability Project calls on additional whistleblowers to come forward. The [...]
A Look Back at our Work with Whistleblowers Over the last few years, we’ve seen employees of conscience make a difference like never before. Whistleblowers exposed abuse of migrants in detention centers, corruption at the Drug Enforcement Administration, mismanagement at Voice of America, secret financial dealings of Afghanistan and Kurdish leaders, and problems with the government’s response to [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:December 21, 2021 Years After DHS Medical Experts Blew the Whistle, A Small Step Forward for Immigrant FamiliesWASHINGTON— Government Accountability Project welcomes reporting that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is no longer detaining migrant families in three Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. Since 2014, thousands of families have been held in these "family residential centers" (FRCs) [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 9, 2021 Government Accountability Project Praises House of Representatives for the Passage of the Protecting Our Democracy Act Act Includes Essential Whistleblower Protections Washington — Today, Government Accountability Project praises the House of Representatives for passing the Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA). This legislation gives Congress more oversight over the [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2021 Concerning Results from OSHA Investigation Emphasize Ongoing Dangers from COVID-19 at Irwin County Detention Facility, ICE Detention Generally WASHINGTON – Today, Government Accountability Project alerted key Congressional offices about the results of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC), a facility [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 14, 2021 Rolling Stone Article Highlights the Broken Whistleblower System that has Failed Truth-Tellers Like Kevin Chmielewski For the first time, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s Deputy Chief of Staff-turned-whistleblower, Kevin Chmielewski, shares his full whistleblowing saga. WASHINGTON — Kevin Chmielewski, a Government Accountability Project client, became a whistleblower as the Deputy Chief of Staff [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2021 Facebook Whistleblower Demonstrates Importance of Passing Credible Protections WASHINGTON – Yesterday, we witnessed a brave whistleblower stand up to the social media giant Facebook, stating to Congress: "I believe what I did was right and necessary for the common good — but I know Facebook has infinite resources, [...]
The Honorable Gary Peters Chairman Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee 724 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Rob Portman Ranking Member Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee 448 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman: As the committee meets tomorrow to [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2020 Government Accountability Project Urges the Support and Passing of the Protecting Our Democracy Act WASHINGTON—Government Accountability Project calls on Congress to support and pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA). PODA is a package of landmark reforms and laws that will prevent presidential abuses of power, restore our [...]
“If There is Not a Change, There is Not Going to be a Change” Dawn Wooten’s Impact, One Year Later At this time last year, over 270 thousand new cases of COVID-19 were recorded, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first woman to lay in state at the U.S. Capitol, and devastating wildfires out west injected climate change into the [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2021 Government Accountability Project Commends Special Report on Medical Abuse of Immigrants Detained at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility was at the center of our whistleblower client Dawn Wooten’s disclosure last year. WASHINGTON – Yesterday, members of the immigration justice community released a special report on the detention facility that our whistleblower client, Dawn [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2021 OIG Findings of ICE Mismanagement Confirm Whistleblower Concerns Raised Throughout the Pandemic Since the earliest days of the pandemic, whistleblowers have spoken up about mismanagement of COVID-19 in ICE facilities. Now its oversight agency validated those concerns and issued recommendations for reform. WASHINGTON – On September 7, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security’s [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 8, 2021 New, Detailed Whistleblower Evidence Further Documenting Abuses of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Warehoused by the Federal Government at Fort Bliss and Other Emergency Intake Sites Government Accountability Project’s Third Whistleblower Complaint WASHINGTON – Today, Government Accountability Project filed its third complaint with federal oversight agencies detailing abuses at the [...]
PRESS CONTACT Danielle Rodriguez, SisterSong [email protected] (312) 774-8914 Immigrant Advocates Demand End Date to Terminate ICE Contract at Notorious Georgia Detention Center SEPTEMBER 1, 2021, Ocilla, GA—Frontline communities and advocates are seeking government records regarding public officials’ progress and timeline for ending ICE operations at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC), an immigration detention [...]
Afghanistan collapsed because corruption had hollowed out the state This op-ed was written by our Investigator Zach Kopplin and was originally published here. When the Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, the militant group faced almost no resistance. The country’s now former president, Ashraf Ghani, fled to the United Arab Emirates, accused by one [...]
August 23, 2021 SUPPORT H.R. 4, JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 220 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, and the 200 undersigned organizations, we [...]
Biden must reverse immigration rule This op-ed features our clients Drs. Scott A. Allen and Pamela McPherson and was originally published here. Paola Alvarez mortgaged her home in Guatemala and paid smugglers $8,000 to shuttle her across Mexico to the U.S. border. But after she and her 7-year-old daughter were delivered into Arizona’s parched wasteland, [...]
He Guarded Haiti’s Slain President. And He Was a Suspect in a Drug Inquiry. This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The commander in charge of guarding the Haitian president’s home quickly became a suspect in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last month when his security team inexplicably melted [...]
Congress weighs whistleblower safeguards after Trump saga This article features our Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. The Senate Intelligence Committee wants to give whistleblowers who work for U.S. intelligence agencies groundbreaking new protections, a response to what members see as flaws in the process revealed in the leadup to [...]
We Must Repair and Restore Scientific Integrity in Government: Our Recommendations to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy By Anne Polansky Government Accountability Project recently prepared a set of recommendations for policies strengthening existing scientific integrity policies and submitted them to the newly created Scientific Integrity Task Force under the White [...]
More Whistleblowers Call Attention to Mistreatment of Immigrant Children This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein, Lauren Reinhold, Laurie Elkin, and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. On July 7, two whistleblowers sent a letter to Congress alleging “gross mismanagement and specific endangerment to public health and safety” at the Fort Bliss Emergency Intake Site (EIS) [...]
Excerpt from 'When will the government apply its vaccine effort to migrants in ICE detention?' This op-ed was written by our clients Drs. Scott A. Allen and Josiah D. Rich and was originally published here. 'President Biden is correct to cite the success of vaccines in reducing the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and communities. In [...]
Bill Introduced to Better Protect Congressional Whistleblowers This article features our Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. On July 29, Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced the Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act. The bill strengthens whistleblower protections for federal employees who make protected disclosures to Congress. The 1912 Lloyd-LaFollette Act guarantees federal employees the right to [...]
‘We have already caught staff with minors inappropriately’: recordings indicate sexual misconduct at migrant shelter, according to report This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Audio obtained by NBC News from a May staff training session at Fort Bliss appears to capture a federal contractor discussing staff sexual misconduct with minors. Fort Bliss, [...]
Audio released detailing complaints of abuse of unaccompanied minors at migrant facility This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. After two federal workers came forward as whistleblowers filing a complaint with Congress over how unaccompanied minors are being treated at a temporary facility at Fort Bliss, audio [...]
Looks like the Pentagon may have itself to blame for its cyber recruiting troubles This podcast features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. The Defense Department Inspector General said the Pentagon’s bureaucracy is getting in the way of hiring the cyber employees the military needs. In a recent report, the DoD IG found [...]
U.S. SENATORS EYE WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS FOR POLICE OFFICERS This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — As police reform talks sputter on Capitol Hill, with key lawmakers still sparring over the most substantial elements on the negotiating table, one idea has [...]
Federal employees have some of the worst whistleblower protections in the country, advocates say This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Whistleblower advocates are hopeful 2021 is the year they can make stronger protections for federal employees a reality. And they believe [...]
Whistleblowers: Depression plagues migrant children in border camp This article features Government Accountability Project and our client Arthur Pearlstein and was originally published here. Unaccompanied migrant children detained in the U.S. Fort Bliss Army base in Texas live in poor mental and physical conditions, according to a whistleblower complaint submitted to Congress and government watchdogs on Wednesday. Why it [...]
U.S. special counsel lays blame on DEA in bungled Haiti drug-trafficking case This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and Staff Attorney Samantha Feinstein and was originally published here. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in Haiti mishandled a major investigation into a Colombian ship loaded with hundreds of kilos of cocaine and heroin, [...]
Op-Ed: Chaos at Fort Bliss Refugee Camp This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. One would think that $1,000,000,000 paid to contractors would result in gold-star treatment! But it didn’t. This bottomless pit of taxpayer-dollar-at-waste paid for “organizational chaos.” Both reports I read described the living conditions [...]
Federal contractor raises allegations of sexual misconduct at Fort Bliss facility: report This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. A federal contractor at a facility housing unaccompanied minors in Fort Bliss, Texas, allegedly said staff members were engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with minors in the shelter, according [...]
Whistleblowers at Border Shelter Say They Were Told to ‘Downplay’ COVID Outbreak Among Kids This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two more whistleblowers have come forward to allege that children were mistreated by contractors and senior federal employee managers at a Department Health and Human Services [...]
Federal officials made ‘every effort’ to downplay a COVID-19 outbreak at a migrant children facility earlier this year, warning ‘politics will take over,’ whistleblowers say This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Federal officials tried to downplay a COVID-19 outbreak at a child [...]
Two Federal Whistleblowers Reveal HHS Instructions to Downplay Fort Bliss’ Migrant Children COVID-19 Outbreak This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. After serving as volunteers at a facility in Fort Bliss, two federal whistleblowers filed a complaint and allegedly claimed that the Department [...]
Whistleblowers Allege Cover-Up of COVID Outbreak at Facility for Illegal Minors This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Volunteers who served at a detention facility for underaged illegal aliens blew the whistle on Wednesday about an alleged plot to cover up the true [...]
Biden admin ordered employees to downplay COVID cases in migrant children at Texas border facility: whistleblowers This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two whistleblowers have accused Biden's Department of Health and Human Services of directing them to downplay the severity of a [...]
‘I Don’t Have Time For This Sh**’: Officials Allegedly Ignored Calls To Buy Underwear for Detained Migrant Children This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Federal officials reportedly ignored requests to buy underwear for migrant children detained at the Fort Bliss emergency intake [...]
Whistleblowers Accuse Biden’s HHS: Efforts Made to ‘Downplay The Degree Of COVID Infection’ At Migrant Children Site This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two whistleblowers have accused members of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of directing them to minimize the size of a [...]
Whistleblowers Say ‘Gross Mismanagement’ at Migrant Kids’ Detention Facility Led to Nightmare Conditions This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. In the months since the U.S. Capitol assault, Donald Trump has led the GOP efforts to distort and dismiss the realities of the anti-democratic and deadly riot that [...]
Whistleblowers say they were told to downplay COVID outbreak among migrant kids at shelter This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — Two more whistleblowers have come forward to allege that children were mistreated by contractors and senior federal employee managers at [...]
HHS Whistleblowers Claim They Were Told to Hide Real COVID Situation Among Migrant Minors in Texas This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. A massive influx of unaccompanied minors left US immigration officials scrambling earlier this year for facilities to house the children. Numerous reports claimed that [...]
Whistleblowers: COVID spread at Fort Bliss migrant shelter for kids but HHS told us to ‘make everything sound positive’ This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. In May, the Associated Press reported that migrant kids being kept at an Emergency Intake Shelter set up at Fort Bliss [...]
Two whistleblowers claim the Department of Health and Human Services instructed them to downplay a coronavirus outbreak among migrant children at a facility in Texas This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two whistleblowers have accused the US Department of Health and Human [...]
Two More Whistleblowers Come Forward Alleging Neglect and Mismanagement at Migrant Youth Shelter This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two more federal whistleblowers came forward today saying they witnessed filthy conditions, mismanagement, and efforts to downplay the spread of COVID-19, lice, and [...]
Whistleblower says migrant children at Fort Bliss face depression, filthy conditions This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. EL PASO, Texas (CBS4) — A whistleblower complaint that was presented to Congress on Wednesday stated that the migrant children housed at Fort Bliss faced filthy [...]
More whistleblowers allege poor migrant child care at Fort Bliss This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. FORT BLISS, Texas — Two more whistleblowers have come forward alleging that migrant children who stayed at the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso received poor [...]
Whistleblowers allege poor conditions at Fort Bliss facility for migrant children This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two more whistleblowers have come forward alleging that migrant children who stayed at the Fort Bliss facility near El Paso, Texas, received poor care, according to a complaint obtained by CNN. [...]
Detained Immigrant Children Didn't Have Adequate Masks During A COVID Outbreak, Whistleblowers Allege This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Immigrant children housed at one of the Biden administration's largest emergency shelters were held in overcrowded conditions without adequate masks, resulting in widespread COVID-19 infections, according to [...]
US used contractors with no childcare experience to run migrant facilities: whistleblowers This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. More federal employees are stepping forward to complain about treatment of unaccompanied minors at a facility in Fort Bliss, Texas, after the government allegedly contracted with several companies [...]
Migrant children in U.S. tent camp faced depression and filthy conditions, whistleblowers say This article features our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Unaccompanied migrant children housed at a U.S. government tent camp inside the Fort Bliss Army base in Texas faced filthy conditions and lacked access to adequate mental [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2021 More Whistleblowers Step Forward with New Complaints of Gross Mismanagement, Waste and Abuses of Authority at the Fort Bliss Site for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project, filed its second complaint with federal oversight agencies detailing abuses at the Fort Bliss, Texas Emergency Intake Site (EIS) for [...]
Proposed bill seeks to broaden False Claims Act whistleblower protections This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The False Claims Amendments Act of 2021 (S.2428) would clarify post-employment retaliation against any whistleblower, regardless of their employment status with the company accused of fraud, would be prohibited. FCA lawsuits recovered more than $2.2 [...]
Whistleblowers claim COVID-19 outbreak cover-up at migrant kids facility This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Federal officials at a facility housing migrant children at Fort Bliss made “every effort” to keep the extent of a COVID-19 outbreak under wraps, with one allegedly saying [...]
Migrant child coronavirus outbreak: Whistleblowers say they were told to downplay infections at Fort Bliss This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Arthur Pearlstein and Lauren Reinhold and was originally published here. Two federal whistleblowers are alleging that Department of Health and Human Services instructed them to downplay a coronavirus outbreak amongst migrant children being housed [...]
Senators Introduce of Bipartisan Legislation to Fight Government Waste, Fraud This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021 to beef up the government’s most potent tool to fight fraud. “The False Claims Act has clearly been the [...]
Whistleblower Protection – Where We Stand 243 Years After the First Whistleblower Law This podcast features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. National Whistleblower Day is celebrated each year on July 30. America’s first whistleblower law was approved during the height of the American Revolution on July 30, 1778 when Congress [...]
July 22, 2021 Senator Chuck Grassley 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 RE: Administrative False Claims Act of 2021 Dear Senator Grassley: The undersigned members of the Make It Safe Coalition (MISC) write to applaud introduction of the Administrative False Claims Act of 2021 (AFCA). The False Claims Act is America’s most [...]
Exclusive: Jan. 6 select committee will include former CIA inspector general found to have retaliated against whistleblower This article features our Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — As the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot prepares to get underway next week, it will include former CIA [...]
Know Your Rights: Whistleblowers and the January 6th Select Committee This op-ed was written by our Legal Director Tom Devine and Deputy Legal Director Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. On July 27, the House of Representative’s Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack will hold its first formal hearing, publicly embarking on [...]
Inside the Immigrant Detention Center: Blood and business, lives and lies This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. At the same time as the U.S. Department of State proudly ranked the country among the best performers (Tier 1) in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, children at the Donna Immigration [...]
Two Whistleblowers Send Letter to Congress Alleging Mistreatment of Immigrant Children This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. On July 7, two whistleblowers sent a letter to Congress alleging “gross mismanagement and specific endangerment to public health and safety” at an Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in Texas. The EIS [...]
The Decades-Long Fight for Court Access for Federal Employee Whistleblowers This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Federal employee whistleblowers are essential safeguards to misconduct which threatens democracy, public health, the environment, taxpayer funds, and civil rights. Federal employees are in the unique position to expose abuses of authority [...]
Inspector General Vindicates Top Global Media Agency Officials Suspended During Trump Administration This article features our client Grant Turner and Attorney David Seide and was originally published here. The U.S. Agency for Global Media welcomed a watchdog’s recent decision to clear six top officials targeted under the previous agency leader of any malfeasance. The Government [...]
BLOWING A WHISTLE AT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: LESSONS FOR ITALY AND BEYOND This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In May 2020, at a time when the Italian people were still battling with the devastating first COVID-19 wave, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report investigating Italy’s pandemic preparedness. [...]
Groups Demand Biden Administration End Child Detention at 'Contaminated and Unsafe' Fort Bliss This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Environmental and immigrant rights advocates on Thursday sent a letter to the Biden administration urging an immediate end to the detention of children at Fort Bliss, a "contaminated [...]
Opinion: The Voice of America whistleblowers have been vindicated This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The State Department’s Office of Inspector General has determined that six federal employees in the agency that oversees Voice of America were wrongly targeted for termination from their jobs by the Trump administration. Unjustified and retaliatory was [...]
What You Know about Trump’s Assault on Science Was Just the Tip of the Iceberg This op-ed was written by our Senior Counsel and Director of Education and Partnerships Dana Gold and was originally published here. From political manipulation of COVID-19 research to censorship of weather forecasters who tried to contradict President Trump’s false claims [...]
Making an Impact While Supporting Whistleblowers: Five Tips for Public Interest Organizations On the surface, the goals of public interest organizations and whistleblowers seem to align. However, a deeper dive reveals that unless advocates understand the complexities of blowing the whistle, the combination is filled with ways to go wrong. That’s why it’s so [...]
July 7, 2021 Christi Grimm, Acting Inspector General U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Washington, DC 20201 Dear Ms. Grimm: As organizations working to promote and protect science for the public good, we are writing to express our concern about the lack of scientific evidence to support the FDA’s recent accelerated approval of [...]
A Report Clears Federal Officials Who Were Suspended By A Trump Appointee Over VOA This article features our client Grant Turner and Attorney David Seide and was originally published here. A federal inspector general's investigation has exonerated six government executives who were suspended last year after raising red flags about actions taken by then-President Donald [...]
Rep. Grijalva Calls for Investigation into Migrant Facility at Fort Bliss After Whistleblower Complaint This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Congressman Raúl Grijalva called for an investigation into a facility housing migrant children in Fort Bliss, Texas after whistleblowers filed a federal complaint alleging rampant abuse [...]
Whistleblower Report: Kids Detained at “Filthy” Center On US Border This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Two federal whistleblowers who witnessed horrific conditions during a 30-day volunteer shift at the Fort Bliss detainment center near El Paso, Texas, filed a complaint to Congress on Wednesday, July [...]
US Watchdog Vindicates Voice of America Whistleblowers This article features our client Grant Turner and Attorney David Seide and was originally published here. WASHINGTON (CN) — Attorneys for six employees of Voice of America who complained that the independent state-run media service had become a propaganda arm of the Trump White House touted the release [...]
US Government Media Whistleblowers Cleared of Wrongdoing This article features our Attorney David Seide and was originally published here. A U.S. government watchdog has cleared six senior officials at the government’s independent media agency of wrongdoing when they protested last year that the agency’s chief, appointed by former President Donald Trump, was attempting to politicize [...]
Advocacy groups press Biden to name new watchdog at housing agency This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Three advocacy groups are urging President Biden to designate a temporary replacement for a resigning inspector general to ensure that a senior official accused of misconduct does not take over at the end of the month. [...]
HEALTH CARE BRIEFING: Pelosi Pushes Drug Pricing in Budget Bill This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday she is pushing to attach legislation to tackle drug prices to the major budget bill carrying most of President Joe Biden’s $4 trillion economic agenda in the coming [...]
New reports of “gross mismanagement” and poor conditions at Fort Bliss facility for migrant children This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Poor conditions, allegations of sexual abuse and “gross mismanagement” continue to plague the Fort Bliss detention camp for migrant children, according to a new report and [...]
Trump appointee erred in firing Voice of America whistleblowers: watchdog This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A government watchdog found the Trump-appointed leader of Voice of America (VOA) erred in his dismissal of six employees, which was likely retaliation against whistleblowers and wrongly stripped some of them of their security [...]
Oversight Groups Express Concern About Future of the Housing Finance Agency IG Office This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Three nonprofit organizations are calling on President Biden to take action to restore confidence and morale at the Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general office following the IG’s upcoming resignation. Last [...]
Oversight groups urge Biden to nominate caretaker Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Several watchdog groups sent a letter Wednesday to President Joe Biden asking him to nominate a caretaker to temporarily act as the Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency after [...]
Problems ignored, complaints discouraged at Fort Bliss migrant children’s camp This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Minors ages 13 to 17 being woken up with a bullhorn siren. A volunteer being told she could not take to [...]
Whistleblowers Claim Migrant Kids Experience Poor Medical and Hygiene Care at Texas Shelter This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Whistleblowers have detailed how migrant kids housed in one of the Biden administration's largest shelters for unaccompanied migrants in Texas are experiencing poor hygiene care. According to NBC [...]
Editorial: Conditions for migrant children no better under Biden This article features Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. One of the Democratic shouting points during the Trump administration was the conditions in which migrants — particularly children — were detained on our southern border. “Kids in cages” was the rallying cry [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2021 Inspector General Clears Six Voice of America Whistleblowers of Wrongdoing State Department Inspector General Finds Charges Levied by Trump Political Appointees Against Six Senior Executives to be Pretextual, Created to Support Predetermined Decision WASHINGTON – Government Accountability Project applauds the State Department’s Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) recent [...]
Whistleblowers: Migrant Kids Held In Biden Admin Shelter Being Monitored By ‘Disaster Cleanup’ Specialist With No Experience In Child Care This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Hundreds of migrant children, still being held in a Health and Human Services detention facility months after crossing the United [...]
Migrant Children Languished in Filthy Conditions Under Eye of Untrained Contractors, Whistleblowers Say This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Children inside the Biden administration's largest shelter for unaccompanied migrant youth were subjected to filthy living conditions and medical neglect under the watch of unqualified government contractors, [...]
Federal worker: ‘We are traumatizing’ immigrant kids This article features our clients Laurie Elkins and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Immigrant rights groups lashed out at the Biden administration this week after a new whistleblower complaint from two volunteers at a shelter for illegal immigrant children said they’d seen tragic mismanagement and suffering [...]
ABUSES AT FORT BLISS CONFIRM CHILDREN SEEKING ASYLUM DON’T BELONG IN DETENTION This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Today, the #WelcomeWithDignity responded to the Government Accountability Project’s press release on whistleblower allegations of abuse at Fort Bliss. Eyewitnesses described a fire and water damage repair company with no experience of [...]
Whistleblowers: Unaccompanied minors being poorly cared for by inexperienced contractors at Fort Bliss This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. The emergency influx shelter at Fort Bliss army base has been the subject of complaints of poor conditions for the unaccompanied minor migrants it houses. A whistleblower [...]
Whistleblowers Alleged Kids Mistreated by ServePro Contractors Hired to Oversee Detention Camp This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Unaccompanied children held at an immigration detention camp in the Texas desert suffered substandard living conditions and mistreatment by contracted staff including employees of an [...]
Contractor hired to care for migrant children has no experience in child care, whistleblowers say This article features Government Accountability Project and our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. Contractors in charge of migrant children housed at a facility in Fort Bliss, Texas, were trained to assist with disaster recovery [...]
Whistleblowers detail poor hygiene for migrant kids at Texas site This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. The Health and Human Services Department used a water-and-fire damage repair contractor with no training to supervise migrant children at a Texas emergency shelter, two whistleblowers stationed at the facility [...]
Whistleblowers allege poor care for migrant kids by contractor specializing in disaster cleanup This article features our clients Laurie Elkin and Justin Mulaire and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — Children housed in one of the Biden administration's largest shelters for unaccompanied migrant minors were being watched over by contractors with no Spanish-language skills or experience in [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2021 [UPDATED] Whistleblowers’ Complaints of Gross Mismanagement at Fort Bliss Immigrant Children’s Site Ignored Alarming Conditions at Site Managed by Department of Health and Human Services Put Immigrant Children at Needless Risk WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project disclosed abuses at the Fort Bliss, Texas Emergency Intake Site (EIS) for undocumented [...]
As ICE Maintains Safety Is A Priority During Pandemic, Records Show Multiple Outbreaks At Ga. Facilities This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they took measures to protect immigrants in custody from COVID-19, the Georgia Department of Public Health continues to investigate [...]
End the War on Whistleblowers This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Last month, ProPublica published a jaw-dropping look into the IRS data of well-known billionaires, revealing their meager effective tax rates in detail. The disclosures were met with shock and anger. After all, how could Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Michael Bloomberg, and [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2021 Government Accountability Project Applauds Landmark Whistleblower Legislation WASHINGTON— Government Accountability Project today praised the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for approving landmark legislation to modernize the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) of 1989. The last time Congress updated our national whistleblowing law was through the Whistleblowing Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, which passed after a thirteen-year campaign, but the most [...]
Whistleblowers Push Biden to Vaccinate More Immigrants in Detention This article features our clients Drs. Scott A. Allen, Pamela McPherson, and Josiah “Jody” Rich and was originally published here. Three whistleblowers wrote a letter to Congress urging President Biden’s administration to increase its efforts to vaccinate migrants who are being held in detention in the United States. [...]
Why individual medical liberty isn't an isolated case This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Deep in Ocilla, Georgia, sits the Irwin County Detention Center, a facility contracted with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house female immigrants. Last fall, Dawn Wooten, a nurse and whistleblower working there, accused gynecologist Dr. Mahendra Amin of [...]
Harris Makes Her First Visit to the Southern Border This newsletter features our clients Drs. Scott A. Allen, Pamela McPherson, and Josiah “Jody” Rich and was originally published here. Vice President Kamala Harris visited the southern border last week, continuously emphasizing that she was focusing on the “root causes” of immigration. She toured an El [...]
Whistleblowers urge Biden administration to do more to vaccinate detained immigrant population This article features our clients Drs. Scott A. Allen, Pamela McPherson, and Josiah “Jody” Rich and was originally published here. (CNN) Three whistleblowers are urging the Biden administration to do more to vaccinate immigrants in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention amid mounting criticism [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2021 Department of Homeland Security Medical Experts Blow the Whistle on Ongoing Dangers from COVID-19 in Immigration Detention Settings WASHINGTON—Today, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) medical and mental health subject matter experts are blowing the whistle on the continuing threat that [...]
Britney Spears’s Forced IUD Is a Chilling Example of the Threats to Reproductive Freedom This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Let’s say there’s a woman, aged 39, who’s been working diligently—in the form of playing sold-out shows—for the last decade. She already has two teenage sons, and she and [...]
PENTAGON WHISTLEBLOWER UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER WARNING ABOUT RISKS OF WAR WITH CHINA OVER TAIWAN This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Pentagon whistleblower Franz Gayl has been part of the United States Marine Corps for over four decades. He spent the last months trying to warn U.S. government officials and the [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:June 23, 2021Asylum Seekers with Closed Cases Under the Trump-Era “Remain in Mexico” Policy Now Eligible to Pursue Asylum ClaimsWASHINGTON—On June 22, 2021, the Biden administration announced that starting today, June 23, asylum seekers whose cases were closed under the Trump administration’s "Remain in Mexico" policy, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), [...]
The Real War Dogs of Iraq This article was written by our Investigator Zack Kopplin and was originally published here. The first day on the job at the defense contractor DGC International involves an unusual orientation. In the contractor’s offices in McLean, Virginia, some new hires were asked to watch War Dogs, a 2016 blockbuster based [...]
World Bank Does Not Want Any Part In BTC Revolution Of El Salvador This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In recent news, the World Bank has now refused to take part in the so-called ‘Bitcoin (BTC) revolution’ currently being spearheaded by El Salvador following President Bukele’s decision to legalise the [...]
CLARK: The Justice Dept’s Spying On Congress, Journalists To Find Leakers Is A Disturbing, Unconstitutional Development This op-ed was written by our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. During the winter of 2017, someone most likely within the White House or intelligence agencies released a classified document to the Washington [...]
Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security 3801 Nebraska Ave. NW Washington, D.C., 20016 Tae Johnson Acting Director U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 500 12th St. SW Washington, D.C., 20536 June 21, 2021 Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Acting Director Johnson, The undersigned organizations write with concerns regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) [...]
The Honorable Jack Reed Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee 728 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Adam Smith Chairman, House Armed Services Committee 2264 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable James Inhofe Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee 205 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The [...]
June 18, 2021 Dear Attorney General Garland, Chairman Nadler, Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Jordan, and Ranking Member Grassley, The undersigned civil society organizations write to condemn the Department of Justice’s surveillance of Members of Congress, their staff, and their families, and urge the Congress to investigate this matter immediately as well as enact substantive reforms [...]
June 21, 2021 Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Acting Director Johnson, The undersigned organizations write with concerns regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) custody programs involving families arriving at the U.S. Southern border. In March, ICE signed a short-term no-bid contract[1] with Family Endeavors (“Endeavors”) for 1,239 hotel beds and other related services.[2] The [...]
Civil rights groups urge lawmakers to crack down on Amazon's 'dangerous' worker surveillance This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Civil rights groups are calling on lawmakers and regulators to crack down on Amazon over its system of monitoring workers’ pace. More than 35 civil rights organizations signed a letter Monday [...]
#OurMothersToo: Reckoning With My Abuela’s Coerced Sterilization This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. For as far back as my memory reaches, my grandmother, Obdulia Perez, had paper-thin skin with satiny wrinkles etched deep. She enjoyed bingo, cooking for her family and neighbors, writing poems in longhand, and reading the [...]
Helping Oil Spill Impacted Communities This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. On March 23, 1989, marine toxicologist Riki Ott gave a talk to the Valdez, Alaska Mayor’s Committee about the impact of oil spills on ocean ecosystems. Using crepe paper creatures and magnets, she showed how oil droplets move [...]
World Bank wants no part in El Salvador’s Bitcoin revolution This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The World Bank has refused to assist El Salvador with integrating Bitcoin into its financial infrastructure, a report on Reuters said today. The Central American country made history last week as it passed a bill making Bitcoin legal tender. [...]
Government Accountability Project and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund Launch the Scientific Integrity Reporting Project WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF), in partnership with the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI), the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, and Union of Concerned Scientists [...]
June 14, 2021Dear Chairwoman Klobuchar and Ranking Member Blunt:The undersigned organizations, from across the political spectrum and focusing on a wide range of issues, write to commend the bipartisan effort led by your colleagues, Senator Rob Portman and Senator Richard Durbin, on amending procedures to allow Senators to cast their votes outside of the Senate [...]
June 14, 2021 Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell: We write to commend the bipartisan effort led by Senators Durbin and Portman to address the critical issue of maintaining continuity of the United States Senate in the event of an emergency. We urge the Senate to explore all appropriate avenues to address this [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2021 Government Accountability Project Urges Lawmakers to Include Whistleblower Protections in Law Enforcement Accountability Legislation WASHINGTON – With reports that congressional negotiators are approaching agreement on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project, issued the following statement: “The nation can [...]
June 8, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker United States House of Representatives H-232, United States Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi, We are a group of non-partisan organizations working together to protect our democracy. We are writing to thank you for your steadfast support for the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which would create [...]
Central Bank of the UAE sets up whistleblowing channel to report misconduct This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The Central Bank of the UAE has set up a new whistleblowing portal allowing employees and other parties to report concerns about misconduct. The portal is "an encrypted channel that allows internal [...]
Strong Whistleblower Protections Must Be Included in the George Floyd Policing Act This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. As the country reflects on the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, we mourn his loss as we also mourn the lack of real progress on police [...]
“Nothing is Changing”: ICE Sends Detainees to Irwin Prison Despite Pledges to Close It This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. DESPITE AN ANNOUNCEMENT that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Irwin County Detention Center could be closed, people continue to be transferred into the detention facility, according to multiple sources interviewed [...]
Momentum Grows for Fixing the AML Whistleblower Law This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. When the Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower Act (“AML Act”) became law on January 1, 2021, some commentators praised it as a breakthrough. The law was modelled on the highly successful Dodd-Frank Act (“DFA”) and shared some of its important [...]
June 1, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC Dear President Biden: As good government advocates, we applaud your Administration’s first steps to address ethics as a core value. Initial progress has been meaningful and important, from your Executive Order establishing a new standard to ensure [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2021 Whistleblowers Reveal Former Head of Voice of America Overseer Abused His Authority to Investigate “Disloyal” Federal Employees New Document Shows that Trump Appointee Michael Pack Relied on a Pretextual Justification Crafted by Political Appointees to Pay Over $1.8 Million for Legal Services to Investigate Federal Employees WASHINGTON – [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 28, 2021 Government Accountability Project Condemns the Senate Defeat of the January 6 Commission WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project watched in disappointment as the vote on the January 6 commission failed in the Senate. Our organization, along with a coalition of advocacy groups, had called for members to stand on the right side of history [...]
For Immediate Release: May 27, 2021 Not Above the Law Coalition Ahead of Jan. 6 Commission Vote: “Stand on the Right Side of History” WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, members of the bipartisan “Not Above the Law” coalition released the following joint statement ahead of the Senate’s scheduled vote on H.R. 3233, a bill that would [...]
May 26, 2021 Mr. Christopher Schroeder Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Mr. Schroeder: As organizations concerned about government oversight, openness, and accountability, we are writing to request the Department of Justice adopt a policy of transparency around Office of [...]
Ms. Dasho Dechen Wangmo President of the World Health Assembly 26 May 2021 Dear Ms. Dechen Wangmo and members of the World Health Assembly, As the Seventy-Fourth World Health Assembly dedicated to building a healthier, safer and fairer world is held this week, the Whistleblowing International Network, Transparency International, and the Government Accountability Project, with [...]
No Consent: Did a doctor abuse immigrant women? This video features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZAdKvLrtjk Why have so many women who were held at a Georgia immigrant detention center accused the same gynaecologist of abuse? At a privately run ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) facility in the [...]
Air Pollution From Factory Farms Is Killing Us This article features Government Accountability Project’s Food Integrity Campaign and was originally published here. A new study has revealed that air pollution coming from agriculture leads to 17,900 U.S. deaths every year. Of the 15,900 deaths related to food production, the vast majority—80 percent—were linked to animal-based foods, [...]
DHS whistleblowers blame Trump border policy for increased child detention This article features our clients Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson and was originally published here. Two government whistleblowers are urging the Biden administration to end its use of a Trump-era policy that allows for swift expulsion of adults at the border due to the [...]
Biden Under Pressure Over 'Public Health' Border Expulsions This article features our clients Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson and originally appeared here. WASHINGTON — President Biden is coming under increasing pressure to abandon a Trump-era immigration rule that has sealed off the United States to most migrants during the pandemic, with human rights officials [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2021 Department of Homeland Security Medical Experts Call Upon Congress to Address Ongoing and Future Harm to Migrant Children and Families from Detention WASHINGTON—Today, our clients Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson submitted a whistleblower disclosure to Congress raising concerns about the substantial danger to the health and safety of [...]
ICE detention center with dark past to be shut down; investigations 'reactivated' This video features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Rachel Maddow revisits the story of alleged forced, unnecessary gynecological procedures and sterilizations performed at the ICE detention center in Irwin County, Georgia, with an update reported by NBC News that [...]
'The First Step of Many': Advocates Welcome Move to Close ICE Lockups at 2 County Jails This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. In a move hailed as "a major win" by migrant rights advocates, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced it is moving to end [...]
ICE cuts ties to SW Georgia immigrant detention facility This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. The Biden administration on Thursday severed ties to a southwest Georgia detention center under scrutiny after dozens of detainees accused the staff doctor there of inhumane treatment. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas [...]
ICE to stop detaining immigrants at two county jails under federal investigation This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. The Biden administration has decided to stop detaining immigrants in a pair of county jails facing federal probes in Georgia and Massachusetts, calling the decision an “important first step” in [...]
DHS Ordered to Terminate Contracts with Two ICE Detention Centers Following Whistleblower Allegations This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. On May 20, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sent a memo to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advising ICE to terminate contracts with two [...]
Two ICE Facilities Dogged by Claims of ‘Nightmarish’ Abuses Will No Longer Be Used by Biden Administration This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. According to the Washington Post, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ordered ICE to shut down Bristol County Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts and to cut ties with Irwin [...]
ICE to End the Use of Georgia Facility at Center of Hysterectomy Allegations This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday morning that it will end its use of two facilities, including the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga., where a whistleblower alleges a [...]
ICE announces it’s cutting the Irwin County Detention Center contract This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. After years of advocacy, ICE announces it’s cutting the Irwin County Detention Center contract —a huge win for the immigrants’ rights community Ocilla, Georgia — Today, Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, GLAHR, South [...]
Advocacy Organizations, Law Enforcement Officers Urge Congress to Include Increased Whistleblower Protections for Police in Reform Bills This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. On May 18, Whistleblower Network News, along with 170 advocacy organizations, signed a letter urging Congress to include “best practice anti-retaliation rights” for law enforcement whistleblowers in [...]
May 19, 2021 The Honorable Merrick B. Garland The Honorable Lisa O. Monaco Attorney General of the United States Deputy Attorney General of the United States U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Washington, DC 20530-0001 RE: The U.S. Department [...]
Two Dunwoody officers among many calling for accountability and police reform This article features Government Accountability Project and originally appeared here. Law enforcement officials across the country, including two Dunwoody officers, are calling for congressional leaders to hold police departments accountable. DPD civilian Prisoner Transport Officer Brian Bolden and former DPD Officer Austin Handle signed [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2021 Government Accountability Project Client Dawn Wooten’s Whistleblower Disclosures Catalyze DHS to Stop Detaining Immigrants at Irwin County Detention Center Investigation, Remedy Still Sought for Wrongful Retaliation WASHINGTON—Today, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to sever its contracts with Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) to stop detaining immigrants at that facility, stating in a memo to ICE Director Tae [...]
ICE Detention Center Shuttered Following Repeated Allegations of Medical Misconduct This article features Government Accountability Project and our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. THE DEPARTMENT OF Homeland Security announced on Thursday the agency will be shutting down the controversial immigration prison in Georgia where dozens of detained immigrant women were subjected to nonconsensual gynecological [...]
For Immediate Release: May 19, 2021 Not Above the Law Coalition Statement on National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, the Democratic chairman and Republican ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee reached an agreement on the creation of a 9/11-style commission to investigate [...]
The Recast: Today's GOP is all about fealty. That's risky. This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Project, a leading whistleblower protection advocacy group, sent letters to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass “anti-retaliation rights” for those who report law enforcement misconduct. The group, [...]
Federal data is key to optimal governance and business — open it with public input This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The Biden administration has made it clear that data is vital to achieving its top priorities. President Biden has signed data-driven executive orders on climate change, racial equity, economic recovery and COVID-19. Data is both a [...]
To: Ms. Clare Martorana, Federal Chief Information Officer, White House Office Management and Budget (OMB) cc: Ms. Maria Roat, Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer; Mr. Jordan Burris, Chief of Staff to the Federal Chief Information Officer; Mr. Eric Mill, Senior Advisor on Technology and Cybersecurity to the Federal Chief Information Officer Date: May 17, 2021 [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2021 Government Accountability Project, Joined By 170 Advocacy Organizations and 30 Law Enforcement Officers, Calls Upon Congress to Strengthen Police Accountability Whistleblower Protections WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project, alongside 170 advocacy organizations and 30 law enforcement officers, calls upon Congress to include best practice whistleblower and anti-retaliation rights in any upcoming [...]
Falcon Pipeline drawing heat, accusations of misconduct This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. HARRISON COUNTY – Shell’s Falcon Pipeline, which began construction in 2019 places Harrison County in the center of more action, as if the fracking industry wasn’t enough. The pipeline begins specifically around Scio and Cadiz where it [...]
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro Chair House Committee on Appropriations H-307, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Kay Granger Ranking Member House Committee on Appropriations H-307, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Re: In support of a 20% increase in the House Member Resource allocation and increased committee funding Dear Chair DeLauro and Ranking Member [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2021 Government Accountability Project Applauds January 6 Commission Legislation WASHINGTON—On Friday, May 14, Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY) introduced legislation to form a January 6 commission. The bill, entitled the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the [...]
May 4, 2021 Antony J. Blinken U.S. Secretary of State 2201 C St NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Mr. Secretary, Recent violent protests in Port-au-Prince underscore the Haitian people’s acute frustration with weak democratic governance, systemic corruption and the severe poverty that results from the avarice of government officials. The most glaring example of this [...]
Bipartisan Bill Grants Court Access to Federal Employee Whistleblowers This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. On May 4, a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives reintroduced the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2021 (WPIA). The bill aims to address a number of shortcomings with the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA), the main law offering whistleblower protections [...]
Well-Known Hollywood Producer Leaves Legacy to Government Accountability Project On June 26, 2020, popular long-time Hollywood producer Stuart Cornfeld sadly lost his struggle with cancer. He left a significant mark on Hollywood with a score of films that ranged from horror to comedy. His most successful creations were comedies that he produced in close [...]
Whistleblower protection bill gives feds facing retaliation avenue for relief outside MSPB This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Whistleblowing federal employees and contractors who face retaliation from their agencies would have a new legal remedy available to them through a bill introduced by members of the House Oversight [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2021 Government Accountability Project’s Statement on ICE Detention Facility at Center of Whistleblower Disclosures No Longer Detaining Women WASHINGTON—Recent reporting from Insider revealed that Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) – the immigration facility at the center of our client Dawn Wooten’s whistleblower disclosures – is no longer detaining any women. This information demonstrates the [...]
ICE said to transfer women out of detention center that became infamous over allegations of forced sterilization This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. An immigrant detention center in Georgia where dozens of people alleged they were subjected to unnecessary medical procedures without their consent is no longer detaining any [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2021 Government Accountability Project Applauds Introduction of Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project released research demonstrating that federal employees have almost no chance of defending themselves against retaliation despite the Whistleblower Protection Act. Currently, Administrative Judges (AJ) at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board control a federal [...]
Merkley, Jayapal, Booker, Markey, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Protect Families’ Freedom, Human Right to Not Be Traumatized This article features our clients Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson and Senior Counsel Dana Gold and was originally published here. WASHINGTON, D.C. April 29, 2021– Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today teamed up with U.S. Representative Pramila [...]
Today's D Brief: Biden on US leadership; China’s space station; Air Force One, delayed; Cost estimate jumps on interceptor; And a bit more. This article features our Investigator Zack Kopplin and was originally published here. “American leadership means ending the forever war in Afghanistan,” President Joe Biden said in his first State of the Union address Wednesday evening, [...]
Dear Senator/Representative: The undersigned organizations, from across the political spectrum and focusing on a wide range of issues, write to urge you to support S. 130/H.R. 657, the District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act, sponsored by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The Act contains a crucial [...]
How Afghanistan’s President Helped His Brother Secure Lucrative Mining Deals with a U.S. Contractor This article was written by our Investigator Zack Kopplin and was originally published here. Afghanistan’s crags and valleys hold at least a trillion dollars’ worth of minerals, first mapped by Soviet geologists in the 1970s. Local warlords and foreign powers have [...]
Medical Malpractice Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against ICE Doctor in GA This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. More than 40 women are a part of a medical malpractice class action lawsuit against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Dr. Mahendra Amin, a gynecologist accused of medical abuse, [...]
UNITE HERE: Coalition of Watchdogs and Labor Groups Call on SBA to Release Pandemic Relief Data This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--A coalition of government watchdogs and labor groups appealed to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in an open letter to release data about forgiveness of Paycheck Protection [...]
Biden pressured to disclose political appointees’ ethics agreements as advisor’s brother lobbies White House This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Several watchdog and activist groups are pressuring President Joe Biden to publicly release ethics agreements signed by political appointees in his administration who are not subject to Senate confirmation. In [...]
Dear President Joseph R. Biden Jr., You have described your charge as “restoring faith in American government” after your predecessor’s disastrous presidency and demonstrating with your “actions – not empty words – that public servants serve all Americans, not themselves or narrow special interests.” With your executive order on ethics, you built on past progress [...]
April 21, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC Dear President Biden, As organizations interested in government transparency, accountability, and human rights, we support the administration’s goal to work toward “rebuilding trust with the American people” and we strongly endorse your commitment to “the highest standards of transparency.” Rebuilding [...]
Protecting our Planet: Celebrating the Importance of Whistleblowers on Earth Day In honor of Earth Day on April 22, the world recognizes the anniversary of the modern environmental movement. Started in 1970, Earth Day provides an outlet for individuals and institutions alike to put a spotlight on the state of the planet. At Government [...]
After years of complaints, House committee considering changes to VA accountability office This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The House Veterans Affairs Committee is discussing improvements for VA’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP), following years of complaints about the organization’s performance from employees, oversight groups and members of [...]
Government Whistleblower Investigated and Fired by Trump Administration Has Been Cleared of Wrongdoing and Reinstated This article features our client Dr. Setareh Derakhshesh Sieg and Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A government whistleblower who was the subject of an internal investigation launched by one of Donald Trump’s most controversial political appointees has been [...]
Groups see new openings for digging up dirt on Trump This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Public interest groups determined to stay focused on the Trump administration say they have new openings for unearthing information now that the past government’s political appointees have departed. Various groups that flooded [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2021 Government Accountability Project Statement on the Derek Chauvin Trial Verdict WASHINGTON—Government Accountability Project hailed the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial not only as a mandate for justice, but also for demonstrating the essential role of whistleblowers in enforcing accountability. Government Accountability Project Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2021 Voice of America Oversight Agency Finds Charges Against Whistleblower Unsubstantiated Dr. Setareh Derakhshesh Sieg, Former Director of the VOA Persian News Network, Cleared of All Allegations of Wrongdoing WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project and the Law Office of Mark S. Zaid P.C. applaud the Voice of America’s (VOA’s) April 15, [...]
April 13, 2021 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Republican Leader McCarthy, and Members of the House of Representatives: We, the 31 undersigned organizations, write in strong support of the bipartisan Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (“ACMRA”) and urge the House of Representatives to consider and pass the legislation. Once enacted, ACMRA will strengthen Congressional oversight and [...]
April 7th, 2021 Senator Dick Durbin Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee 711 Hart Senate Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Senator Chuck Grassley Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee 135 Hart Senate Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Oversight Hearing on FOIA at Federal Agencies Dear Chairman Durbin, The undersigned organizations write you to request the Judiciary Committee hold an [...]
Petition Calls for EPA Regulation of Large Dairy and Hog Farms This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Two dozen environmental and consumer groups, including the Sierra Club and Government Accountability Project, petitioned the EPA on Tuesday to regulate large dairy and hog operations under federal air pollution laws. “The EPA has [...]
Reparations for CA forced sterilization survivors: Support AB 1007 This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Between 1909 and 1979, California forcibly sterilized over 20,000 people of color, people with disabilities and imprisoned people. Based on white supremacist eugenics laws and ableist conceptions of who was “unfit to reproduce,” people [...]
Lawmakers, whistleblower advocates push Biden to fill federal employment board This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Lawmakers are urging President Biden to fill an obscure employment board responsible for determining the fate of whistleblowers and other workers dismissed by the federal government. The three-member Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) lost [...]
GovExec Daily: A Request for Stronger Whistleblower Protections This podcast features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Last week, more than 200 groups called on President Biden and congressional leadership to enact stronger whistleblower protection laws, especially to ensure that the government is fairly spending trillions of dollars in pandemic [...]
Cabinet secretaries get their marching orders on the White House’s Buy American initiative This podcast features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. President Joe Biden has told Cabinet secretaries to take a “hard look at their agency’s spending” to make sure they are meeting the goals of his Buy American executive order. Biden told [...]
Groups demand whistleblower protections This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Over 200 groups called on President Joe Biden and congressional leadership on Thursday to enact stronger whistleblower protection laws, especially to ensure that the government is fairly spending trillions of dollars in pandemic relief funding. A diverse group [...]
Dissenter Weekly: Biden Justice Department Wields Espionage Act to Coerce Drone This video features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola shares his reporting on drone whistleblower Daniel Hale, who was charged under the Espionage Act and pled guilty on March 31. [...]
WNN, Advocacy Organizations Send Letter to Biden Calling for Stronger Whistleblower Protections This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. On April 1, Whistleblower Network News (WNN), along with 264 advocacy organizations, sent a letter to President Biden and four members of Congress calling for increased protections for whistleblowers. The letter is addressed to [...]
Over 200 Groups Call for Whistleblower Reform for Public Servants This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Over 200 groups called on President Biden and congressional leadership on Thursday to enact stronger whistleblower protection laws, especially to ensure that the government is fairly spending trillions of dollars in pandemic [...]
Over 260 groups call on Biden to improve whistleblower protections This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. More than 260 organizations urged President Biden and Congress to support freedom of speech protections for whistleblowers by making improvements to protections. The Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit that works with whistleblowers and on whistleblowing legislation, led [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2021 Government Accountability Project and 276 Advocacy Organizations Call on President Biden and Congress to Pass Stronger Whistleblower Protections WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project is joined by 276 organizations in a letter to government leaders supporting accountability through strengthened whistleblower protections. The letter reflects broad stakeholder support consistent with last [...]
Women Whistleblowers in the Trump Era: A Celebration of Women Who Refused to Be Silenced (Part 2) By Sarah Hubbard Government Accountability Project is recognizing Women’s History Month by spotlighting women whistleblowers who have made a difference. Read part one of this series here. Dawn Wooten In July 2020, attorneys at Project [...]
To Promote Accountability, Support Whistleblowers Whistleblowers are one of the most effective catalysts of accountability. Truths about wrongdoing and illegality exposed by employees of conscience act as a check against powerful individuals and institutions. Time and time again, whistleblower stories serve as a case study for why policies should encourage workers to speak up. However, [...]
How the Pentagon Accidentally Funnels Millions to Iraqi Militia Groups It’s Also Fighting This article was written by our Investigator Zack Kopplin and was originally published here. Iraq’s Balad Air Base, home of the country’s F-16 program, was running out of fuel at the worst possible time. It was the spring of 2017 and the [...]
Women Whistleblowers in the Trump Era: A Celebration of Women Who Refused to Be Silenced (Part 1) By Sarah Hubbard In celebration of Women’s History Month every March, our nation honors women who have made great contributions to American history. Government Accountability Project celebrates a sometimes overlooked group of women who have served our nation [...]
The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary of the Treasury U.S. Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20220 March 25, 2021 Dear Secretary Yellen: We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to ask that you direct officials at the Department of the Treasury to fulfil the April 3, 2019 request made by Representative Richard [...]
March 24th, 2021 Hon. Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 Re. Media Access to Border Facilities Dear Secretary Mayorkas, The undersigned organizations urgently request that you reverse the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) position on blocking media access to border facilities. As you are aware, the last three presidential administrations have granted [...]
March 23, 2021 Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson House Science, Space and Technology Committee 2321 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Ranking Member Frank Lucas House Science, Space and Technology Committee 2321 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas, The undersigned organizations write to urge you to support the Scientific Integrity Act [...]
The whistleblower's dilemma: to report or not? This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. JOHN'S, N.L. — If you’re thinking about blowing the whistle on wrongdoing in a public sector workplace, there is legislation to guide you, but it’s still a scary prospect. “I can tell you there is a fair amount [...]
Voice of America whistleblowers call for investigation into previous CEO This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A coalition of whistleblowers is calling for a government probe into the former head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media who spent nearly $2 million in federal funds investigating Voice of America employees. Pack, [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2021 Whistleblowers Reveal More Alarming Details About Law Firm Contracts Awarded by Voice of America Overseer to Investigate Federal Employees New Documents Show that McGuireWoods and Caplin & Drysdale Billed Federal Agency $1.7 Million—Gross Waste and Abuse of Authority According to Whistleblowers WASHINGTON – Today, Government Accountability Project, on behalf [...]
Celebrating Sunshine Week in the Time of a New Dawn Government Accountability Project is shining a light on the importance of whistleblowers to open government during Sunshine Week, March 14-20, 2021. At Government Accountability Project, we believe that truth deserves a champion. Many of the truths we encounter would likely stay hidden if it weren’t [...]
Let’s Toast to Open Government—It’s Sunshine Week! This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Let’s start with three facts. When Steven Mnuchin was Trump’s Treasury Secretary, his plane travel cost taxpayers $1 million. The Trump White House sought to bury a government health study on PFAS, a class of toxins found in drinking water. [...]
March 16, 2021 The Honorable Carolyn Maloney Chairwoman House Oversight and Reform Cmte. United States House of Representatives 2157 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable James Comer Ranking Member House Oversight and Reform Cmte. United States House of Representatives 2105 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Re: Support for Reintroduction and [...]
Dear President Joseph R. Biden Jr., You were elected on what the Marshall Project termed, “the most progressive criminal justice platform of any major party candidate in generations.” Already, in your first month in office, you have repeatedly demonstrated your eagerness to follow through on key promises. Now, you have an opportunity to make additional [...]
Opposition parties should force feds to strengthen whistleblower protections with private member’s bill, says watchdog This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. While the governing party bears much of the responsibility for the lack of movement on this issue, opposition parties, over the years, have not exhausted all avenues for pressuring [...]
Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The International Bar Association has published a new report titled ‘Are Whistleblowing Laws Working?’ The report which is a Global Study of Whistleblower Protection Litigation, tracks the record of whistleblower laws in 38 countries, and provides an unprecedented effort to [...]
The world abandoned COVID-19’s best antidote: Whistleblowers This op-ed was written by our Legal Director Tom Devine and Deputy International Director Samantha Feinstein and was originally published here. Dr. Wenliang Li is now a Chinese folk hero. In the winter months of 2019, before the deadly pandemic took hold across the world, Dr. Li spoke [...]
PETA, other animal rights groups back pro-life activist facing multimillion dollar lawsuit This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and several other animal rights and free speech groups are backing a pro-life activist who is facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit for exposing, through undercover journalism, Planned [...]
New Attorney General Thanks Employees for Their Public Service, Vows Commitment to ‘Norms’ This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The new attorney general on Thursday thanked the Justice Department’s employees for their dedication to public service, as he took over the department that was rife with allegations of political interference [...]
March 12, 2021 Hon. Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary Department of Homeland Security 301 7th Street, SW Washington, DC 20528 Hon. Antony Blinken Secretary Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520 CC: Esther Olavarria, Domestic Policy Council Roberta Jacobson, National Security Council Katie Tobin, National Security Council Re: Wind Down of the Migrant [...]
PETA Defends Pro-Life Journalist From Planned Parenthood's Anti-Free Speech Lawsuit This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Free speech battles can make strange bedfellows. This month, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) joined with two other animal-rights groups in supporting pro-life undercover journalist David Daleiden, whose sting videos revealed [...]
Whistleblowers say Trump ally made questionable hire days before resigning from Justice Department This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Two federal employees are calling for an investigation into the hiring of a senior Justice Department official who had been interviewed by a manager who resigned shortly after -- [...]
Two whistle-blowers claim a Justice Department official improperly promoted an employee in the final days of Trump’s term. This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Two whistle-blowers on Wednesday accused Jeffrey Bossert Clark, a former Justice Department official, of politicizing the hiring process in the waning days of President [...]
Reintroduced Bipartisan Bill Will Protect Inspectors General This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. On March 4, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) reintroduced the Securing Inspector General Independence Act, which would strengthen the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008. The new Act requires any administration to give “substantive rationale, including [...]
Whistleblowers Allege Improper Hiring At Justice Department During Trump's Last Days This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Two whistleblowers assert that a Justice Department official improperly injected politics into the hiring process during his waning days in the Trump administration, according to a new filing obtained by NPR. The [...]
Whistleblowers Allege Improper Hiring At Justice Department During Trump's Last Days This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Two whistleblowers assert that a Justice Department official improperly injected politics into the hiring process during his waning days in the Trump administration, according to a new filing obtained by NPR. The [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2021 Department of Justice Whistleblowers File Complaints Accusing Outgoing Trump Administration Official of Politicizing the Career Civil Service Promotion Process Political Appointee Jeffrey Bossert Clark Passed Over More Experienced Attorneys to Promote Defender of Controversial Trump Abortion Policy Just Days Before Departure WASHINGTON — Government Accountability Project, on behalf of [...]
Global Media Agency Works to Restore Trust and Credibility Post-Trump Era This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. New leadership at the U.S. Agency for Global Media is working to restore trust and credibility after a tumultuous time during the Trump administration. Shortly after getting sworn in on January 20, [...]
Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman Subcommittee on Federal Courts Senate Judiciary Committee Washington, DC 20510 Hon. John Kennedy, Ranking Member Subcommittee on Federal Courts Senate Judiciary Committee Washington, DC 20510 Hon. Hank Johnson, Chairman Subcommittee on Courts, IP and the Internet House Judiciary Committee Washington, DC 20515 Hon. Darrell Issa, Ranking Member Subcommittee on Courts, IP [...]
March 9, 2021 The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary of the Treasury U.S. Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20220 Dear Secretary Yellen: The Department of Treasury has many pressing responsibilities during these trying times, but the undersigned groups believe one of the most important is implementing a new bipartisan, anti-corruption law, [...]
Dissenter Weekly: Report Shows How Whistleblower Protection Laws Often Fail Whistleblowers - Globally This episode features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In this edition of “Dissenter Weekly,” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola highlights an important report from the Government Accountability Project and the International Bar Association on the state of whistleblower [...]
Biglaw Firm’s Work For The Trump Administration This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Michael Pack was CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media an agency that oversees, among others, Voice of America under the Trump Administration. While he was in charge of USAGM, Pack alleged there was a “deep [...]
Are whistleblowing laws working? IBA and Government Accountability Project publish landmark report. This podcast features our Legal Director Tom Devine and International Program Deputy Director Samantha Feinstein and was originally published here.
Trump Appointee At VOA Parent Paid Law Firm Millions To Investigate His Own Staff This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Last summer, an appointee of former President Donald Trump was irate because he could not simply fire top executives who had warned him that some of his plans [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2021 Whistleblowers Report Alarming Details on Payments for Investigation of Federal Employees Made to Law Firm by Voice of America’s Parent Agency Part 1 of materials produced today show, over only three months, McGuireWoods billed over 3,000 hours at an average rate of over $320 per hour, reaching a total [...]
Remove economic barriers for whistleblowers – IBA This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. The International Bar Association (IBA) has published a report that tracks the records of whistleblower laws in 38 countries, and probes the successes and shortcomings of these laws. Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? A Global Study of Whistleblower [...]
Canada's Whistleblower Law Ranks Dead Last In International Rankings This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. OTTAWA — Canada is at the bottom of an international ranking of countries with whistleblower protection, lagging behind Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Botswana. A report released Tuesday by the U.S.-based Government Accountability Project and the U.K.-based [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 3, 2021 Government Accountability Project Launches International Whistleblower Protection Laws Map The map is released alongside a global study of whistleblower protection legislation, conducted by Government Accountability Project and the International Bar Association. WASHINGTON — Government Accountability Project has launched a new resource that will allow users to find international whistleblower laws with the click of a mouse. [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2021 Are whistleblowing laws working? IBA and Government Accountability Project publish landmark report WASHINGTON – A new report, Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? A Global Study of Whistleblower Protection Litigation, tracks the records of whistleblower laws in 37 countries and provides an unprecedented effort to understand the successes and shortcomings of [...]
Notes from Underground: The Frack Dance This blog, along with our previous post regarding pipelines, provides an impression of key topics at the intersection of environmental protection and accountability at the start of the Biden administration. The new United States administration has already shown an inclination to go beyond merely undoing the deregulation of the [...]
Trump's “sabotage” plan: Watchdog groups want to know who was “burrowed” into career jobs This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Government watchdog groups are calling on congressional committees to release the names of Trump political appointees who have "burrowed" into career civil service positions over concerns they may attempt to "sabotage" the Biden [...]
February 18, 2021 The Honorable Ben Cardin U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations The Honorable Roger Wicker U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations RE: Support for the CROOK Act Dear Senators Cardin and Wicker, As organizations and individuals who work to promote transparency and accountability in government, and to combat the abuse of power in [...]
February 18, 2021 The Honorable Bill Keating U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs The Honorable Brian Fitzpatrick U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs RE: Support for the CROOK Act Dear Representatives Keating and Fitzpatrick, As organizations and individuals who work to promote transparency and accountability in government, and to combat the abuse of power in [...]
Notes from Underground: A New Landscape The change of US administration is set to significantly impact federal environmental policy as well as government transparency, both of which were particularly problematic during the Trump administration. This post provides a view of the state of affairs for pipelines under the Biden administration, as it ties to [...]
February 22, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500 Re: Request for Swift Presidential Leadership to Make Transparency a Top Priority for the Biden Administration Dear President Biden: The undersigned civil society organizations write to urge you to take bold presidential action now to carry out your [...]
“Dying of Cold”: ICE Detainees Freezing in Southern Prisons This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. IN LOUISIANA AND Texas, immigrants seeking asylum are facing dire conditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers hit by this week’s extreme cold. At the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, advocates [...]
Watchdogs Propose Plan to Decisively Disqualify Donald Trump From Holding Future Elected Office This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) received a letter on Thursday signed by fifteen social justice and watchdog groups outlining how the United States Constitution explicitly disqualifies ex-President Donald Trump from [...]
Trusted Leaders Are Fighting COVID-19 Vaccine Fears in Black and Latino Communities This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Luz María Abonce arrived in San Jose more than 15 years ago. Over time, she’s been to graduations, quinceañeras, workshops and made dozens of friends throughout the eastern part of the [...]
US Agency for Global Media reinstates employees dismissed under Trump This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and client Grant Turner and was originally published here. The agency overseeing Voice of America has reinstated five whistleblowers who were all fired on the same day last year by Trump officials. The U.S. Agency for Global [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 19, 2021 Whistleblower Reinstated as CFO by US Agency for Global Media's New Management Chief Financial Officer Grant Turner Wrongly Fired by Former USAGM CEO Michael Pack WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project applauds the recent reinstatement of Grant Turner, the long-serving and highly respected Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the US Agency [...]
February 18, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi, We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to express support for your announcement that Congress will work to establish an outside, independent Commission to “investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021 [...]
February 17, 2021 Dear President Biden: Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the United States responded with military force intended to target those responsible for that attack, and invoked extraordinary powers reserved for war. Nearly two decades later, the legal and policy framework created to facilitate that war-based response has resulted in a series [...]
February 12, 2021 Ms. Dana Remus White House Counsel The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20500 Dear Ms. Remus, As organizations advocating for open and accountable government, we applaud President Biden’s decision to resume releasing White House visitor logs. Visitor logs provide the public with information about the groups and individuals influencing [...]
The Honorable Chuck Schumer 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 February 18, 2021 Dear Majority Leader Schumer, We write to you as a cross-partisan coalition of legal and advocacy organizations to urge you to recognize that President Trump is disqualified from future office under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. Initially enacted in [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2021 Government Accountability Project Praises DHS Secretary Mayorkas for Acting on Whistleblower’s Warning to Disapprove Dubious Agreements with ICE Union WASHINGTON – On February 16, the Department of Homeland Security disapproved labor-management agreements intended to hamstring the Biden administration entered into by former political appointee Kenneth T. Cuccinelli just before [...]
Biden’s new VA chief inherits oversight office from Trump viewed as abetting corruption This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. As he led the security team that protects senior officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Everett reported what he viewed as an ethical breach and misuse of [...]
Homeland Security officials scrap Trump-era union deal that could have stalled Biden's immigration policies This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday moved to scrap a contract signed at the tail end of the Trump administration that could have allowed a union of [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2021 Government Accountability Project Applauds Another U.S. Office of Special Counsel Finding “Substantial Likelihood” of Wrongdoing by Trump Administration Officials at Voice of America Overseer Officials Paid Private Law Firm $2 Million to Investigate Agency Employees WASHINGTON — Government Accountability Project has filed multiple whistleblower complaints with the U.S. Office of [...]
Potential whistleblowers deserve more support. Their moral choices protect our democracy. This article was written by our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and Auburn Senior Fellow and author Brian D. McLaren and was originally published here. Sometimes government wrongdoing is on full display. We all witnessed the thousands of aggrieved supporters of then-President Donald [...]
Perdue Farms allegedly retaliated against Robeson County chicken farmer for publicizing sick, dying birds This article features Government Accountability Project’s Food Integrity Campaign Director Amanda Hitt and was originally published here. For 25 years, Rudy Howell of Robeson County made a living by raising chicks as a contract grower for Perdue Farms, one of the [...]
Ripe for Reform: The Opaque World of Specific Licenses to Do Business Under Sanctions This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In a pair of letters sent earlier this month, lawmakers asked Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to cancel a license the department granted to Israeli businessman Dan Gertler in the eleventh hour of the Trump [...]
Prospect of Pardons in Final Days Fuels Market to Buy Access to Trump This article features our client Robert J. MacLean and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — As President Trump prepares to leave office in days, a lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, with some of his allies collecting fees from wealthy felons [...]
Trump Official Cited Security To Kill Visas For VOA Staffers. Emails Say Otherwise This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Nabila Ganinda was awaiting a green light from the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency had hired Ganinda, a young Indonesian journalist, to work for two years at the Voice [...]
OPEN LETTER SENT BY EMAIL AND POST TO: Mr. Zelensky, President of Ukraine 16th February 2021 Dear President Zelensky, We, the undersigned organisations join our voices to this letter from the Board of Trustees of the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN) to urge your leadership to defend the integrity of the law that protects those who [...]
Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security 3801 Nebraska Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20016 Tae Johnson Acting Director U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 500 12th St. SW Washington, D.C. 20536 Esther Olavarria Deputy Director Domestic Policy Council 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 February 11, 2021 Dear Secretary Mayorkas, Acting Director Johnson, and [...]
Marquis Who's Who presents their inaugural African American Catalysts for Change list This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Black History Month has presented a specific opportunity to honor the heritage of Black Americans ever since it was first celebrated in 1926, and later when it became an officially recognized [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 11, 2021 Voice of America Reinstates Whistleblower Wrongly Fired by Michael Pack VOA Acquits Veteran Editor Falsely Charged with Improperly Posting Urdu Language Video of Biden Campaign Speech WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project applauds the recent reinstatement of a respected Voice of America (VOA) editor — a whistleblower — wrongly fired [...]
FOIA Roundup: PPP loans to franchisees and how whistleblowers faired under Trump This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In this week’s roundup, FOIA helps understand which national franchises benefitted the most from the Paycheck Protection Program. Plus transparency on whistleblower claims, a new FOIA portal, and more. Data released through [...]
Newly Introduced Bill Extends Federal Whistleblower Protections to TSA Employees This article features our client Jay Brainard and was originally published here. On February 5, a group of senior Democrats in the United States House of Representatives reintroduced The Rights for the Transportation Security Administration Workforce Act. The Act would extend the federal workplace rights of Title [...]
February 9, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Charles Schumer United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Mitch McConnell United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Majority Leader Schumer, and [...]
February 9, 2021 Hon. Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Biden: We are a coalition of nonprofit organizations and interested individuals devoted to good governance, government transparency, accountability, ethics, and democracy. We welcome your public commitments to building back American democracy [...]
Democratic legislators introduce COVID Whistleblower Protection Act This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. To guard against waste, fraud, and abuse, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), recently introduced the COVID-19 Whistleblower Protection Act to establish strong whistleblower protections for the [...]
Legislation Introduced to Protect Whistleblowers During the COVID-19 Pandemic This article features our Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Jackie Speier (CA-14) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced H.R. 846, The COVID-19 Whistleblower Protection Act to establish strong whistleblower protections for the employees of entities that receive federal COVID-19 relief funds. [...]
Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Protect Employees Who Blow the Whistle on COVID Funds Misuse This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. House and Senate Democrats reintroduced legislation on Thursday to bolster whistleblower protections for employees of business and entities that received federal coronavirus relief funds. Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Jamie [...]
ICE union contract prompts fear of resistance to Biden This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A union contract signed by the Trump administration on its last full day in office could enable Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to stall President Biden’s vision for a reimagined immigration system. [...]
AZ Attorney General Sues Over Biden's Deportation Moratorium This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has terminated an unusual agreement that Arizona's top prosecutor signed with the agency in the waning days of the Trump administration to try to restrict President [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 4, 2021 House and Senate Propose Best Practice Whistleblower Rights for COVID Spending WASHINGTON – Today, good government leaders in both chambers of Congress introduced a bill for accountability in the most expensive, high stakes government spending program in history: the combined stimulus laws responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives Jackie [...]
February 4, 2021 RE: Nearly 150 Groups urge support for the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1) Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of the below organizations representing tens of millions of Americans, we write in strong support of H.R. 1/S. 1, the For the People Act. This transformational democracy reform package would help [...]
President's orders aim at policies on border This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. President Joe Biden announced executive actions Tuesday ordering the review and potential reversal of the Trump administration's deterrent policies along the Mexico border and the barriers they created in the legal immigration system. The directives [...]
Immigrant/refugee rights: It’s now or never, Joe This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Since the beginning of the most recent war on immigrants — which took shape starting in 2006 with the hypercriminalization of undocumented workers — the U.S. Congress has repeatedly talked of passing legislation labeled “Comprehensive Immigration [...]
Inside the Brutal Power Struggle at Homeland Security This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. TENSIONS RAN SO high at the Department of Homeland Security’s oversight wing that one senior official fantasized about Arya Stark, the fictional assassin in “Game of Thrones,” “taking care of” the agency chief, according [...]
Whistleblower accuses former Trump official of 'abuse of authority' for last day deal with ICE union This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Former senior Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli is accused in a new whistleblower complaint of mismanagement, waste and abuse of authority over a deal he signed with a [...]
This article features our Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Citing documents obtained by BuzzFeed News, two independent government watchdog groups are calling for an investigation into whether a top health official in the Trump administration violated federal anti-gag laws in trying to silence members of the CDC and the [...]
Biden to issue new immigration orders, while signaling cautious approach This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. President Biden will announce executive actions Tuesday ordering the review and potential reversal of the Trump administration’s deterrent policies along the Mexico border and the barriers it created in the legal immigration [...]
A Whistleblower Alleges A Top Trump Official Signed A Last-Minute Agreement With ICE’s Union That Could Hamstring Biden’s Immigration Policies This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A whistleblower alleged Monday that a top Trump administration official abused his authority by entering into a series of last-minute agreements with [...]
Trump Official’s Last-Day Deal With ICE Union Ties Biden’s Hands This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — A whistle-blower complaint filed on Monday said a top Trump homeland security official sought to constrain the Biden administration’s immigration agenda by agreeing to hand policy controls to the pro-Trump [...]
Intel Agency Worker Pushed His Own Drone Company, Report Details This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In 2014, the co-founder of an anti-drone technology company decided to leverage an unusual marketing asset: his employment at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The employee obtained classified information, arranged access to lawmakers and other [...]
February 2, 2021 The Honorable Rosa DeLauro Chair Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives The Honorable Patrick Leahy Chair Committee on Appropriations United States Senate The Honorable Kay Granger Ranking Member Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives The Honorable Richard Shelby Vice Chair Committee on Appropriations United States [...]
February 2, 2021 Dear Member of Congress: Welcome to the 117th Congress. As 53 organizations working on behalf of students, consumers, veterans, faculty and staff, civil rights advocates, researchers, and others concerned about unaffordable student debts and predatory practices, we are providing an outline of our coalition’s higher education priorities. As Congress continues to consider [...]
Controversial Chemical Used in Oil Spills, Banned in Many Countries, Can Be Used in Narragansett Bay This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. A chemical dispersant that is linked to making thousands of members of the Coast Guard as well as clean-up workers sick in the Gulf oil spill of [...]
Former Homeland Security Watchdog Officials Fostered ‘Divisiveness, Disorder and Dissension,’ Report Finds This article features our Deputy Director of Legislation Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. A former senior official at the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general office, along with two other high-ranking employees within the office, engaged in systematic unprofessional and divisive [...]
January 27, 2021 Dear Corporate America, On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, sending the country’s elected leaders scrambling for their lives. Many in corporate America expressed outrage, saying the events were “shocking,” “scary,” and “an affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans.” Immediately after the riot, 147 [...]
Former Voice of America overseer hired two law firms to $4 million no-bid contracts This article features Government Accountability Project and Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The former head of Voice of America’s parent agency hired two law firms to open-ended, no-bid contracts, including one specifying that top lawyers would earn [...]
Biden Won’t Speed Up Chicken Slaughter Speeds in a Move for Safety This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. This week, the Biden Administration withdrew a pending rule that would increase the national slaughter speed of chickens to dangerous levels that would have further jeopardized animal welfare, worker safety, and public health. [...]
As Washington returns to calm, whistleblowers’ moral courage is no less urgent This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. (RNS) — The recent events at the U.S. Capitol show in a dramatic way how much our society needs truth-tellers to report illegitimate actions they observe in public and private workplaces. [...]
January 25, 2021 Dear Director Duff and Judge Fleissig: The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S Capitol has left an indelible stain on American democracy. We cannot move forward as a nation until those responsible are held accountable. As you know, the U.S. Department of Justice has begun indicting many of the alleged perpetrators [...]
January 19, 2021 Dear Members of Congress: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (The Leadership Conference), a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect civil and human rights in the United States, and the undersigned 151 organizations, we write to express [...]
Bipartisan coalition reintroducing House legislation to prevent insider trading This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Seventh District Democrat Abigail Spanberger is reintroducing legislation to prevent insider trading by members of Congress. Spanberger’s Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust (TRUST) in Congress Act would increase transparency and reduce opportunities for nefarious activity to occur [...]
Immediate Release Monday 18 January 2021 We, the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, whistleblowing, human rights, transparency and journalist organisations are alarmed by the ongoing extradition proceedings against Jonathan Taylor in Croatia. On 4th January 2020 the Dubrovnik County Court again ruled to extradite Jonathan to Monaco. In October 2020, the Croatian [...]
Democracy Won. Now Whistleblowers Will be Critical to Maintaining Good Government. During the Trump presidency, whistleblowers took center stage. Brave individuals stood up against the administration’s wrongdoing – sometimes at great professional and personal cost – for what was right. While this should have been celebrated, whistleblowers were repeatedly attacked by the president. Now, [...]
January 21, 2021 Dear President Biden: In the past few weeks, your nominees and appointees have begun to release their Personal Financial Disclosures outlining their previous private sector work. From Blackstone and Gilead, to Palantir and Facebook, to Raytheon Technologies and Ridgeline Partners, the corporate clients referenced in the disclosures released so far include [...]
USAGM Head Resigns Following Biden Request This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media stepped down Wednesday afternoon at the request of President Joe Biden shortly after Biden took office. Michael Pack served for just over seven tumultuous months as the [...]
Controversial Trump appointee overseeing VOA resigns at Biden's request This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — The Trump appointee overseeing the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded broadcasters resigned on Wednesday at the request of the Biden administration, after a tumultuous tenure marked by accusations he was undermining the [...]
Voice of America overseer spent $2 million investigating employees, complaint alleges This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. The head of Voice of America’s parent agency hired a law firm at a rate of about $500 an hour and spent $2 million in taxpayer funds to compile personnel dossiers on managers [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 19, 2021 Whistleblowers Sound Alarm on $2 Million in Gross Waste Spending Over Three Months by Voice of America’s Parent Agency WASHINGTON—Today, whistleblowers notified Congress and the federal agencies assisting whistleblowers of at least $2 million in gross waste spending just in the past three months by the U.S. Agency for [...]
Are Some Animal Welfare Labels ‘Humanewashing’? This article features our Director of Government Accountability Project’s Food Integrity Campaign Amanda Hitt and was originally published here. If you’ve bought meat or eggs in a grocery store recently, you’ve probably seen a wide range of labels promising improved treatment of farm animals. Many of these labels look [...]
Column: How Trump cheapened one of America’s highest honors, the Medal of Freedom This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Nothing makes sense anymore. The party of “law and order” just rampaged through the Capitol, bludgeoning a police officer to death and calling for the lynching of [...]
VOA journalists call on director to resign over ‘propaganda event’ for Pompeo This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. A coalition of Voice of America journalists has called for the director of the organization and his deputy to resign, alleging in a letter they retaliated against a veteran reporter for questioning Secretary of [...]
TSA makes changes after whistleblower's complaint This article features our client Jay Brainard and Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. The Transportation Security Administration has improved coronavirus protection for airport screeners after a TSA official accused the agency of endangering travelers, the whistleblower's lawyer said Wednesday. The changes include requiring screeners [...]
Whistleblowers Demand VOA Director Resign Over Pompeo Speech, Staff Moves This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. WASHINGTON - Twenty-six journalists have demanded that Voice of America’s director resign after a series of alleged retaliatory measures and firewall violations culminated in the reassignment of one of VOA’s most high-profile reporters. [...]
January 19, 2021 SUPPORT H.R. 1, THE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 220 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, and the 82 undersigned organizations, we [...]
January 15, 2021 The Honorable Charles E. Schumer Democratic Leader, U.S. Senate The Capitol, S-221 Washington, D.C. 20510 Leader Schumer, This year, the American people voted in record numbers for a House, Senate, and president who believe our democracy works best when every vote is counted, and every voice is heard. Unfortunately, President Trump [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2021 Government Accountability Project Files Whistleblower Complaint Regarding the Retaliatory Actions Taken Against VOA White House Correspondent for Questioning Secretary of State Pompeo During His Visit to VOA Headquarters WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project notified Voice of America (VOA) that the actions taken against VOA Senior White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara [...]
Making US Propaganda Exceptional Again: Mike Pompeo’s Voice of America Speech This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. During the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo renewed his efforts to incite greater conflict between the United States and Iran. He also used Voice of America [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2021 Voice of America Whistleblowers Protest “Reassignment” of White House Correspondent After Questioning Secretary of State Pompeo During VOA Speech WASHINGTON—Today, whistleblowers notified the political leadership of Voice of America (VOA) and its parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), that their summary removal of VOA White House [...]
Pompeo accused of politicizing VOA in speech calling for press freedom This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set off alarms among ethics experts and whistleblowers this week when he leaned into his criticism of Voice of America (VOA) during a speech broadcast live by the government-funded [...]
VOA Director Reassigns White House Correspondent This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. In a rebuke from Congress, U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Michael McCaul of Texas chastised the heads of USAGM and Voice of America on Tuesday for reassigning a VOA White House correspondent. Patsy [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2021 Top Faith-Based Leaders and Organizations Partner to Protect Whistleblowers Government Accountability Project Launches New Program: Bearing Witness WASHINGTON – Today, influential faith leaders and organizations from across the US join Government Accountability Project in launching Bearing Witness, the first-ever faith-based initiative to support and protect workplace truth-tellers. Whistleblowers bear witness [...]
Pompeo Defends Changes at USAGM Under Trump Appointee This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday defended the leadership of the U.S. Agency for Global Media against criticisms that its CEO is trying to turn the news network into a propaganda tool. In [...]
Pompeo accuses VOA of "demeaning America" in speech that whistleblowers blast as "political propaganda" This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Voice of America news service of "demeaning America" in a speech that a watchdog group criticized as "political propaganda" and [...]
Pompeo feud with US global media agency intensifies This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo exalted American exceptionalism and called for publishing truth about freedom and democracy in the U.S. during a speech that had earlier drawn criticism for politicizing the federal government's flagship independent broadcast agency. [...]
TSA Makes Changes After Whistleblower’s Complaint This article features our client Jay Brainard and Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. The Transportation Security Administration has improved coronavirus protection for airport screeners after a TSA official accused the agency of endangering travelers, the whistleblower's lawyer said Wednesday. The changes include requiring screeners to [...]
Pompeo Trumpets Trump, Razzes Critics In Speech To VOA This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to U.S. government-funded airwaves on Monday to deliver a full-throated defense of the Trump administration’s presentation of its foreign policy and its support for democracy abroad. Less [...]
Pompeo Demands Voice of America Promote U.S. as the Greatest This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo pressed the Voice of America to be less critical of the U.S., delivering a speech that appeared at odds with the news organization’s mandate to maintain editorial independence from [...]
Voice of America CEO Accused Of Fraud, Misuse Of Office All In One Week This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Fresh crises and fresh challenges confront the Trump-appointed CEO of the parent of Voice of America, even with less than two weeks left of the Trump presidency. To [...]
AG-nominee Garland pledges to fight violent extremism while public interest groups petition for Trump investigation This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. In a speech accepting the nomination for Attorney General from President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday, Merrick Garland condemned the riots on Capitol Hill and underscored the importance of the rule of law as [...]
Voice of America employees protest order to broadcast Pompeo speech, calling it ‘propaganda’ This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Staffers at Voice of America, the government-funded international news organization, have filed a whistleblower complaint raising concerns about an upcoming address by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying it [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2021 Voice of America Whistleblowers Protest Upcoming Live Worldwide Broadcast of Address by Secretary of State Pompeo to Live Audience of VOA Staff at VOA Headquarters WASHINGTON—Today, Voice of America (VOA) whistleblowers notified the federal agencies responsible for oversight and investigations of VOA and its parent agency, the U.S. [...]
Biden Attorney General Pick Merrick Garland Urged to Establish DOJ Task Force to Probe Trump Crimes This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. As President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday confirmed reporting that he will nominate Judge Merrick Garland to lead the U.S. Department of Justice, a coalition of public interest groups urged the attorney general-designate [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 06, 2021 Statement from Government Accountability Project on Violent Sedition Efforts to Undermine Democracy WASHINGTON—Today, thousands of domestic terrorists descended on the nation’s capitol building, violently disrupting the Electoral College vote count. For weeks President Trump and his allies have been refusing to accept the clear and lawful results of the [...]
Christian Greene This article features our client Christian Greene and Legal Director Tom Devine and was originally published here. Christian Greene was born in Eugene, Oregon, to Paula and Jason Greene. Her mother was “the sweetest, kindest person, whom everyone called mom.” Jason Greene was an entrepreneur, “having his hands in a little bit [...]
The Lull Before the Surge on Top of the Surge - California Today This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. “A surge on top of a surge” of the coronavirus is incoming, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Monday in his first briefing of what’s already shaping up to be an exhausting year. With the [...]
Trump awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to longtime loyalist and GOP Rep. Devin Nunes This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. President Donald Trump on Monday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of California. Nunes is one [...]
Trump Gives Medal Of Freedom To Loyalist GOP Congressman Nunes This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who defended President Trump in the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, has been awarded the Medal of Freedom, the White House announced Monday. In [...]
Trump Appointee Seeks Lasting Control Over Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia This article features our client Jamie Fly and was originally published here. Michael Pack's stormy tenure over the federal agency that oversees government-funded broadcasters abroad — including Voice of America — appears to be coming to a close. Yet President Trump's appointee has [...]
Whistleblowers in 2020 This article features our client Dawn Wooten and Jay Brainard and was originally published here. In 2020, it seemed as though whistleblowers were in the news more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic was, of course, the year’s biggest news story, and whistleblowers played an important role throughout its development. Early on, whistleblowers [...]
GovExec Daily: Feds' Anti-Gag Rights During the Transition This podcast features our Deputy Legislative Director Irvin McCullough and Democracy Fellow Aman Panjwani and was originally published here. In December, a group of good government organizations sent a letter to 25 federal departments and agencies asking them to reinforce their employees' whistleblower rights amid the presidential transition. [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 4, 2021 Government Accountability Project Condemns Awarding Devin Nunes with Presidential Medal of Freedom WASHINGTON – Earlier today, President Donald Trump awarded Congressman Devin Nunes with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award intended to recognize individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or [...]
Transition Roundup: Still No Plum Book; Trump Ramps Up Lame Duck Actions This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. President Trump has less than a month left in office, yet he’s creating potentially massive roadblocks for pandemic relief and government funding. On Tuesday night he released a video in [...]
US DoJ Whistleblowers Urge For Investigation Into Canceled Diversity Programs This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. In a letter obtained by NPR, DoJ whistleblowers urge federal watchdogs and members of Congress to investigate what they say are illegal government directives that forced diversity and inclusion programs planned by the DoJ earlier [...]
“I Just Felt Like I Had No Control Over My Body”: Survivors of Alleged ICE Medical Abuse Speak Out This video features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Dozens of immigrant women detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia have joined a class-action lawsuit against ICE over [...]
2 Cleveland Police Officers Avoid Federal Charges in Killing of Tamir Rice This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Two Cleveland police officers will avoid federal criminal charges for their role in the killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy who had been carrying a pellet gun when [...]
Coalition Letter to Members of Congress Urging Passage of the Protecting Our Democracy Act to Prevent Future Abuses of the Pardon Power Dear Member of Congress, We write to you as a cross-partisan coalition of thirteen organizations to urge passage of the Protecting Our Democracy Act (H.R. 8363, S.B. 4880) in order to prevent future [...]
More immigrant women say they were abused by Ice gynecologist This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. More women have joined an official legal petition alleging that they were medically abused by a gynecologist while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody in a move that significantly expands a [...]
Migrant women file lawsuit against doctor for alleged forced medical procedures This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Lawyers representing a group of more than 40 migrant women on Monday filed a class-action lawsuit alleging abuse and forced medical procedures at a Georgia immigration detention center. The 160-page legal complaint, filed [...]
Women File Lawsuit Alleging Non-Consensual Gynecological Procedures at ICE Detention Center: ‘The Most Medical Way of Being Raped You Could Possibly Experience’ This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. A group of women detainees at a Georgia facility run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are suing the agency, [...]
More Than 40 Women File Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Medical Misconduct by ICE Doctor at Georgia Detention Center This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. More than 40 women are now a part of a consolidated class action lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Dr. Mahendra Amin, a gynecologist [...]
More Than 40 Women Are Now Speaking Out About Alleged Medical Misconduct In ICE Detention This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Forty-one women are now speaking out against the federal government and a Georgia gynecologist, most of them alleging that they underwent unwanted and medically unnecessary procedures while in [...]
At Least 35 Immigrant Women Accuse ICE Gynecologist Of Medical Abuse, File Class-Action Lawsuit This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. More than 30 women have filed a legal petition against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging they were medically abused by a gynecologist while in custody. A class-action [...]
DOJ Whistleblowers Call for Investigation Into Canceled Diversity Programs This article features Government Accountability Project and our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. Justice Department whistleblowers are calling on federal watchdogs and members of Congress to investigate what they call illegal and abusive government directives that waste money and chill "diversity-related [...]
Congresswoman wants to make sure Trump administration preserves records This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wants to make sure President Donald Trump doesn’t dispose of any vital presidential records on his way out the door. Maloney sent a letter to David Ferriero, [...]
More migrant women join the demand for gynecological abuses in a detention center-CVBJ This article features Government Accountability Project and our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Nail 40 immigrant women in a Georgia detention center have filed a class action lawsuit in which they claim they suffered medical abuse when subjected to Unnecessary surgical procedures [...]
The Future of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Under a Biden Administration This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. During the Trump administration, a substantial number of human rights violations were committed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. ICE detention facilities held migrant detainees in inhumane conditions with [...]
Migrant Women File Suit Alleging Abuse and Nonconsensual Hysterectomies at Georgia Detention Center This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. A new class-action lawsuit claims dozens of migrant women have suffered medical abuse or endured nonconsensual surgeries while being detained in Georgia. The legal action was ignited by a Black [...]
Class-Action Suit Sought Over ‘Disturbing Pattern of Inhumane Medical Abuse’ of ICE Detainees Including Forced Hysterectomies This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Lawyers representing a group of migrant women detained at a Georgia facility run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are seeking a class-action lawsuit as they allege "a [...]
Immigration detainees file for class-action lawsuit against ICE and Georgia gynecologist, alleging misconduct This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. A group of immigrant women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking a class-action lawsuit against the agency, alleging they received subpar gynecological care — or faced retaliation for [...]
Migrant women file class-action lawsuit for alleged medical abuse at ICE detention center This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. About 40 migrant women who were held at a Georgia detention center have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were subjected to medical abuse through nonconsensual or unnecessary procedures [...]
Why Congress urgently needs to pass federal legislation to protect students and faculty from whistleblower retaliation When schools opened across the U.S. amidst the ongoing pandemic, students and public school employees blew the whistle on life-threatening public health and safety practices that violated CDC regulations. In several cases this was met with retaliation. Some school employees and students have legal protections from retaliation, though the [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2020 Government Accountability Project and Project South Stand Behind Detained Immigrants’ Class Action Lawsuit Against ICE WASHINGTON—In the wake of the whistleblower disclosures by nurse Dawn Wooten, detained immigrants have come forward to file a class action lawsuit against ICE, LaSalle Corrections, and Georgia gynecologist Dr. Mahendra Amin, among [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2020 Government Accountability Project Praises D.C. City Council for Unanimous Passage of the Ombudsperson for Children Establishment Amendment Act of 2020 New Act Models Recommendations of the U.S. Ombudsman Association to Keep Children Safe WASHINGTON – Today, Government Accountability Project praised the D.C. City Council for its December 15, 2020 unanimous [...]
Groups Request Reminder of Federal Employees’ Whistleblower Rights This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. Four oversight and good government organizations sent letters to 25 federal agencies on Monday asking them to reinforce their employees' whistleblower rights amid the presidential transition. The Government Accountability Project, American Oversight, Protect Democracy and Public [...]
Exclusive: Nonprofit coalition demands Biden act on misinformation This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. A large collection of nonprofits is sending an open letter today calling on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to do a better job of both educating the public on misinformation and taking stronger action to protect the health [...]
Viewpoint: Federal Workers Need to Know Their Anti-Gag Rights This article was written by Deputy Legislative Director Irvin McCullough and Democracy Fellow Aman Panjwani and originally appeared here. The Trump administration loves gag orders. From banning unapproved congressional communications to censoring government scientists, these speech restrictions have at least one thing in common: their issuance [...]
Sen. Warren Re-Introduces the Anti-Corruption & Public Integrity Act This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. WASHINGTON DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) this week reintroduced the Anti-Corruption & Public Integrity Act, bicameral legislation to fundamentally change the way Washington does business and restore [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2020 Government Accountability Project and Allies Demand Federal Agencies Inform Workforce of Whistleblower Rights to Protect Democracy Organizations focused on democracy protection send letters to 25 government agencies calling on them to encourage employees to report wrongdoing during politicized transition period WASHINGTON — Today, Government Accountability Project, along with American [...]
Broad Coalition of Employee, Advocacy Groups Makes Last-Ditch Effort to Convince Congress to Block Schedule F This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here. A group of more than 60 organizations representing various facets of the federal workforce and an array of policy advocates last week pushed Democratic lawmakers to negotiate [...]
Government Accountability Announces Recipients of the Jane E. Rosen Fund to Support Women Fighting for Scientific Integrity Last year, Government Accountability Project launched the Jane E. Rosen Fund, which was established to continue Dr. Rosen’s pursuit of justice and truth after her passing in October of 2019. The fund is named after Dr. Rosen, a [...]
CLARK: Truth And Justice Require A Snowden Pardon This article was written by our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. In 2013, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress. On March 12 of that year, while testifying before the Senate, he was asked whether the National Security [...]
Anonymous Voice Of America Employees Protest New Acting Director This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. On Monday, a group of anonymous Voice of America employees asked their parent agency to rescind the appointment of their new, “controversial” acting director. The Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower advocacy group that [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2020 Government Accountability Project and Other Whistleblower Groups Applaud New Protection for Financial Whistleblowers WASHINGTON — Government Accountability Project applauds congressional approval of best practice rights to protect financial whistleblowers in section 6314 of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The provisions originated in the Corporate Transparency Act introduced by [...]
This Newly Released Letter Details The Criminal Referral On Donald Trump Over His Ukraine Phone Call This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. Nearly one year after the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump, the federal government has released the criminal referral alleging Trump committed crimes related to his phone call [...]
New VOA Director Arrives With Baggage: Anti-Islamic And Homophobic Writings This article features our clients Grant Turner and Amanda Bennett and was originally published here. Robert R. Reilly is taking the reins at the Voice of America with extreme, publicly stated views on some subjects that may complicate his mission of sharing news and U.S. [...]
“And Then There Were None:” How the suppression of truth-tellers heightens the validity of their work By Abby Schneekloth On the morning of December 7, 2020, former COVID-19 data scientist Rebekah Jones found her home raided by ten armed Florida police officers. The justification for this search came from a tip from Jones’ former agency [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14th, 2020 Voice of America Staff Protest Appointment of New VOA Director WASHINGTON — Multiple Voice of America (VOA) whistleblowers, who wish to remain anonymous, today sent a letter to the head of the agency that oversees VOA, Michael Pack, protesting the appointment of Robert R. Reilly as the new Director [...]
10 Women Detained By ICE File Grievances Against “Uterus Collector” They Say Performed Forced Sterilizations This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. On Thursday, ten women filed medical grievances against a gynecologist at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, alleging that Dr. Mahendra Amin conducted unnecessary medical procedures, including [...]
Trump Ally Nunes Seeks to Derail Key Bill Funding Intelligence Community This article features our National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. U.S. lawmakers are running out of time to pass the annual intelligence bill authorizing billions of dollars for the country’s spy agencies thanks to objections by Rep. Devin Nunes, one [...]
Dec. 9, 2020 Dear President-Elect Biden, The country faces enormous challenges. As you transition into your presidential term, the American public is counting on you and your administration to repair the damage from the Trump Administration’s extreme and dangerous deregulatory agenda. Hundreds of rollbacks of protections under the previous administration — imperiling our planet, endangering [...]
Global Media Agency Head Replaces Acting Voice of America Director This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO brought in a conservative author and former government official during Republican administrations to be acting director of Voice of America, replacing a 40-year veteran of [...]
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2020 Congress Questions Administration Officials about Government Accountability Project’s Investigation into Corrupt Syrian Oil Company, but Key Records Withheld Washington, DC— At 10 AM yesterday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing to question Joel Rayburn, the State Department’s Special Envoy for Syria, about American policy in that country. [...]
Meat Industry Gets Its Way on Line Speeds This article features our Food Integrity Campaign Director Amanda Hitt and was originally published here. Amanda Hitt from the Government Accountability Projects Food Integrity campaign comes back to talk about the increases in line speed jammed through by the industry and the Trump administration. What does this mean [...]
VOA Director Forced Aside In Drive To Embed Trump Loyalists Before Biden Era This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The Trump appointee who runs the government's overseas broadcasters reassigned the head of the Voice of America on Tuesday as part of a broad effort to install supporters [...]
Government regulator accuses VOA parent company under Trump commission of misconduct This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. NPR reports that the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal oversight agency, announced Wednesday that it had uncovered a “significant likelihood of wrongdoing” at the U.S. Agency for Global [...]
Trump's grievances feed menacing undertow after the election This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. The last throes of Donald Trump's presidency have turned ugly — even dangerous. Death threats are on the rise. Local and state election officials are being hounded into hiding. A Trump campaign lawyer is [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 2020 Government Accountability Project Condemns Attacks Against Former State COVID-19 Data Scientist WASHINGTON – Yesterday, a former state COVID-19 data scientist faced retaliation after speaking up for scientific integrity. CNN reported that about ten Florida police officers raided Rebekah Jones’s home – a Florida Department of Health data scientist who [...]
Trump loyalist Michael Pack plots final purge at federal media agency before Biden takes office This article features our client Grant Turner and was originally published here. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a federal media agency is attempting one last purge of personnel before Joe Biden is sworn in as the next commander-in-chief. [...]
Trump’s election grievances feed menacing undertow of threats, concerns of violence This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. WASHINGTON (AP) — The last throes of Donald Trump’s presidency have turned ugly — even dangerous. Death threats are on the rise. Local and state election officials are [...]
USAGM Told to Investigate Allegations of Wrongdoing at Agency This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A federal office set up to protect whistleblowers has ordered the federal agency that oversees Voice of America and other independent news networks to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by its own top officials. [...]
USAGM Told to Investigate Allegations of Wrongdoing at Agency This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. A federal office set up to protect whistleblowers has ordered the federal agency that oversees Voice of America and other independent news networks to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by its own top officials. [...]
Federal watchdog says “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” at US broadcasting agency This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. In June, a Steve Bannon ally and conservative filmmaker appointed by President Donald Trump took over running the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a vast international network of news agencies funded and [...]
Federal watchdog finds 'substantial likelihood of wrongdoing' by Trump appointees overseeing Voice of America This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency has found "a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing" by Trump administration appointees who oversee the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media [...]
A Trump Lawyer Just Called For the Execution of Trump's Former Election Security Chief This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. A lawyer for the Trump campaign has called for the execution of Chris Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, because Krebs [...]
UPDATE: FORCED-HYSTERECTOMY VICTIMS IN ICE DETENTION DEPORTED This video mentions our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Eddie Conway talks to Azadeh Shahshahani, Project South Legal and Advocacy Director and lawyer for Dawn Wooten, a nurse at Irwin County Detention Center and the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on ICE abuses, including the [...]
Federal watchdog accuses VOA parent company of wrongdoing under Trump appointee This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog agency, announced Wednesday that it had uncovered a "substantial likelihood of wrongdoing" at the U.S. Agency for Global Media following an [...]
'Substantial Likelihood Of Wrongdoing' By VOA Parent Agency, Government Watchdog Says This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog, disclosed Wednesday that it had found "a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing" at the parent agency of the Voice of America under the [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 2, 2020 Government Accountability Project Applauds U.S. Office of Special Counsel for Finding “Substantial Likelihood” of Wrongdoing by Voice of America/U.S. Agency for Global Media Political Leadership WASHINGTON — Over the past three months, Government Accountability Project has filed multiple whistleblower complaints with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) alleging that [...]
Donald Trump's lawyer Joe diGenova says fired cybersecurity official should be 'taken out and shot' This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. A member of Donald Trump's legal team has been blasted after saying America's former cybersecurity chief, Christopher Krebs, should be "taken out and shot" for [...]
Trump campaign lawyer says fired cybersecurity chief should be ‘shot’ for declaring election secure This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. An attorney working for the Trump campaign’s efforts to overturn 3 November’s election result has been condemned for saying that Chris Krebs, the former head [...]
ICE trying to deport Filipina, a U.S. citizen, who is a witness to detention abuse This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. ICE is attempting to deport several witnesses, including a Filipina who is a U.S. citizen, who can testify against a gynecologist who performed allegedly unnecessary or overly aggressive [...]
Trump Campaign Lawyer Suggests Executing Ex-Cybersecurity Staffer Chris Krebs: Should Be 'Taken Out at Dawn and Shot' This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. An attorney for President Donald Trump's reelection efforts said Monday that Christopher Krebs, the former cybersecurity chief who was fired by Trump in November, [...]
Trump attorney issues call for violence against truth-telling former election cybersecurity official This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. Washington (CNN) An attorney for the Trump campaign on Monday issued a call for violence against Chris Krebs, a former cybersecurity official who was unceremoniously ousted from his post [...]
Trump Lawyer Wants Krebs 'Taken Out at Dawn and Shot' This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. (NEWSER) – A Trump campaign lawyer made plain on The Howie Carr Show on Monday that he's not a fan of Chris Krebs, the cybersecurity chief fired by President Trump last month after vouching for [...]
Trump lawyer: ex-election security chief Krebs should be 'taken out and shot' This article features our Executive Director and CEO Louis Clark and was originally published here. A former head of US election security who said Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden was not subject to voter fraud should be “taken out at dawn and [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020 Government Accountability Project Condemns Attacks Against DHS Whistleblower WASHINGTON – Earlier today, President Trump’s campaign lawyer, Joe diGenova, said that a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower “Should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.” The whistleblower, Christopher Krebs, headed the Department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency [...]
DEMOCRATS ISSUE SUBPOENA REGARDING ALLEGED ABUSE AT GEORGIA DETENTION CENTER This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. Dawn Wooten, a nurse at the facility, has alleged that detained women underwent medical procedures without their consent and that the facility violated federally recommended coronavirus protocols. Despite written requests, LaSalle has [...]
House Democrats demand answers on alleged medical abuse, lack of COVID protections at ICE detention facility This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. House Democrats are demanding answers and documents from a private prison company running an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Georgia that’s come under fire [...]
House Dems subpoena ICE detention facility over allegations of medical abuse This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. House Democrats subpoenaed a private prison firm Wednesday after it refused to hand over documents related to allegations of medical abuse and Covid safety hazards among undocumented immigrants. Reps. Bennie G. [...]
Murder at the Border: How the U.S. & Mexico Turn a Blind Eye to Femicide This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. There’s a famous quote by Mexican poet and human rights activist Susana Chávez Castillo that’s frequently referenced in protests against femicide: “Ni una mujer menos, ni una muerte [...]
DOJ Agrees to Temporarily Halt Deportations of Immigrant Women Who Alleged Medical Abuse at ICE Facility This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. On November 24, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to temporarily halt the deportations of detained immigrant women who alleged abuse at an immigration detention facility [...]
Former ICE nurse alleges forced sterilizations on detained female immigrants, recalling America’s own dark history of eugenics—U.S. to investigate This article features Government Accountability Project and our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. A former ICE nurse, Dawn Wooten, who worked for the Irwin County Detention Center, alleged that a physician was performing [...]
Biden team meets with former U.S. media agency leaders, including some ousted by Trump appointee This article features our client Grant Turner and was originally published here. Former leaders of the U.S. Agency for Global Media have been meeting with members of Joe Biden’s transition team to discuss what has taken place at the federal [...]
US agrees for now to stop deporting women who alleged abuse This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. government has agreed temporarily not to deport detained immigrant women who have alleged being abused by a rural Georgia gynecologist, according to court papers filed Tuesday. [...]
U.S. Agrees To Pause Deportations For Women Alleging Abuse At ICE Facility This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. The U.S. government has agreed to freeze any planned deportations of the immigrant women alleging abuse at a detention facility in Georgia. In a consent motion filed in U.S. District Court [...]
DOJ has agreed to temporarily halt deportations for some migrant detainees and whistleblowers who alleged medical and sexual abuse at a Georgia detention center — until at least a Biden-Harris administration This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. The US Justice Department agreed on Tuesday to temporarily suspend the deportations [...]
Fewer Kansans Expected To Fly This 'Different' Holiday Season This article features our client Jay Brainard and was originally published here. Wichita’s Eisenhower National Airport is looking at a slower-than-normal holiday travel season as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against traveling at all. Passenger traffic is down more than 50% from last year because of [...]
Dear Member of Congress, The undersigned organizations are united in our commitment to inspiring public service and encouraging excellence in government for the betterment of the American people. In that vein, we write to urge you to block implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 13957 in the next government funding package considered by [...]
November 23, 2020 The Honorable James Inhofe 205 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Adam Smith 2264 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Jack Reed 728 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Mac Thornberry 2208 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairmen Inhofe and [...]
The time has come for a reckoning on US immigrant abuse This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. In mid-September, several organisations including Project South filed a complaint with the inspector-general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS OIG) about medical abuse immigrants were facing at the Irwin County Detention Center in [...]
A Cleveland police officer killed her son. Tamir Rice’s mother says she hasn't received justice. This article features Government Accountability Project’s Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here. CLEVELAND — With the statute of limitations expiring in early December for a federal crime that prosecutors had been considering, Tamir Rice's mother said she [...]
Judge slaps down Trump appointee who has sought to reshape Voice of America and related agencies This article features our client Grant Turner and was originally published here. A federal judge issued a series of preliminary injunctions against a Trump appointee who has enacted sweeping and controversial changes at Voice of America and other government-funded news [...]
Congressional Dems say women in ICE custody who blew whistle on gynecologist should be able to apply for special visas This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. A group of more than 100 congressional Democrats demanded Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release female detainees from a Georgia detention [...]
ICE sterilizations in Georgia evoke tragic chapters in South's history This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. It's been two months since a whistleblower complaint revealed allegations of nonconsensual hysterectomies being performed on people held in the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia. The U.S. Immigration and Customs [...]
Congressional leaders call ICE to halt deportation of detainees involved in Irwin County center abuse investigations This article features Government Accountability Project’s Senior Counsel Dana Gold and our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. ATLANTA — Congressional leaders said this week immigrants who allege they were subjected to forced hysterectomies at a Georgia detention [...]
After Biden Win, U.S. Intelligence Community ‘Probably Doing Cartwheels’ This article features Government Accountability Project’s National Security Analyst Irvin McCullough and was originally published here. People working at the White House often take guests on tours of the historic building. But unlike others, during his two terms as vice president, Joe Biden made a point [...]
Whistleblowers are Democracy's Last Defense This article was written by Government Accountability Project's Senior Counsel, Dana Gold, and was originally published here. Despite unprecedented partisanship and politicization, voting for the 2020 presidential election proceeded with few reports of difficulty, a testament to the strength of our democratic institutions. However, instead of conceding the election, the [...]
To better hold ICE accountable, Congress must pass HR 2415 This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. In September, Georgia nurse Dawn Wooten filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General alleging that the Irwin County U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility had conducted [...]
Roundup: Political Interference and Declining Trust in Public Health Agencies Addressing COVID-19 This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. One hot spring afternoon in Malta, a journalist drove up to her house to find a court marshall duct-taping hundreds of sheets of paper to her front gate. Her family’s two [...]
Letter to the Editor: Industry supporter out of line on line speeds This article features Government Accountability Project and our Food Integrity Campaign and was originally published here. This letter addresses a recent publication by L.A. Cox, about which Food Safety News wrote in the article “Faster line speeds may not be the food safety [...]
Detainees, Advocates Concerned About COVID-19 Spread In Ga. Immigration Detention Centers This article features our client Dawn Wooten and was originally published here. As COVID-19 cases rise in the state, advocates and detainees in Georgia continue to raise concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in immigration detention centers. Since May, three immigrant detainees have died in Georgia after [...]