A History of Standing Up for Democracy
A History of Standing Up for Democracy Government Accountability Project was co-founded more than 40 years ago by Louis Clark as a place for whistleblowers—individuals who choose to disclose information about serious abuses that violate public trust—to come for support and protection. Whistleblowers often serve as sources of inspiration [...]
How Pennsylvania Can Win the Battle Against COVID-19 Fraud
How Pennsylvania Can Win the Battle Against COVID-19 Fraud By Edward Baker and Jack Kolar Legislation is now before the Pennsylvania Senate that, if signed into law, would protect COVID-19 stimulus funds, as well as other state programs, from fraud. As former federal prosecutors and current whistleblower attorneys, we strongly urge all Pennsylvanians to support enactment of the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act (CFPA). While the COVID-19 pandemic continues and government resources become increasingly precious, this bipartisan legislation will form [...]
Notes from Underground: The Pipeline Pipeline (Part 2)
Notes from Underground: The Pipeline Pipeline (Part 2) This series assesses the current state of the pipeline industry, with consideration of future prospects for pipeline development and the potential downsides they represent. Part 1 provided an overview of the role of public opinion in the development of infrastructure projects. Part 2 will [...]
Notes from Underground: The Pipeline Pipeline (Part 1)
Notes from Underground: The Pipeline Pipeline (Part 1) While recent court decisions have stopped or slowed construction on major pipelines, the industry appears to have no intention of capitulating. In a collaborative four-part series between Government Accountability Project’s Environment, Energy & Climate Change (EE&CC) program and Food Integrity Campaign (FIC), we will look at the present and [...]
Government Accountability Project Congratulates Department of Defense Whistleblower on Victory
Government Accountability Project Congratulates Department of Defense Whistleblower on Victory Government Accountability Project congratulates Jacqueline Garrick, founder of Whistleblowers of America (WoA), on her recent victory at the MSPB following a years-long battle after blowing the whistle on attempted contracting fraud and tragic mission breakdowns at the Department of [...]
Without Restraint or Precedent: Trump’s Attacks on the Inspectors General System
Without Restraint or Precedent: Trump’s Attacks on the Inspectors General System By Katrina Meyer In the last few months, President Donald Trump has fired or replaced five inspectors general (IG): Intelligence Community IG Michael Atkinson, Acting Transportation Department Deputy IG Mitch Behm, Defense Department Principal Deputy IG Glenn Fine, [...]
Empty Shelves, Culled Animals: COVID-19 Intersects with Decades of Industrialized Agriculture
Empty Shelves, Culled Animals: COVID-19 Intersects with Decades of Industrialized Agriculture For decades, whistleblowers have told us that it is dangerous when Big Ag puts profits over people. Companies such as Tyson, JBS, and Smithfield, which have historically bulldozed independent businesses to gain control of our meat supply, have [...]
COVID-19 & the Dismantling of Oversight: How the Trump Administration is Exploiting the Pandemic and Public Distraction to Purge Whistleblowers
COVID-19 & the Dismantling of Oversight: How the Trump Administration is Exploiting the Pandemic and Public Distraction to Purge Whistleblowers As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform every aspect of our society, from our daily lives to the economy, Government Accountability Project continues to confront the unparalleled challenges of the current moment. While the American public is [...]
Captain Crozier’s Whistleblowing: Unanswered Questions and the Need for Reform
Captain Crozier's Whistleblowing: Unanswered Questions and the Need for Reform By Tom Devine The Military Whistleblower Protection Act is flunking the COVID 19 pandemic. Recently, some commentators have asserted that the Navy’s removal of Captain Crozier’s command violated that law. As one who actively participated in drafting all four [...]
COVID-19: The Largest Attack on Whistleblowers in the World
COVID-19: The Largest Attack on Whistleblowers in the World By Samantha Feinstein The novel coronavirus has put whistleblower protection laws to the test. As the global community is counting each case of COVID-19 on a daily basis and seeing case numbers rise, the 45 whistleblower protection groups who make up [...]
Social Distancing in Detention: An Inherent Paradox that Threatens Lives, for Detainees and the Public
Social Distancing in Detention: An Inherent Paradox that Threatens Lives, for Detainees and the Public By Emma Lyons Government Accountability Project has long represented federal whistleblowers who drew attention to threats to immigrant health and safety under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” and “Remain in Mexico” policies. Even under [...]
What We Still Haven’t Learned Since the 1918 Pandemic
What We Still Haven’t Learned Since the 1918 Pandemic By Katrina Meyer In recent weeks, a number of people have made comparisons between the current COVID-19 pandemic and the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. While the degree to which these deadly disease outbreaks mirror each other is difficult to [...]
Epidemics and Chilling Effects: A Dangerous Combination
Epidemics and Chilling Effects: A Dangerous Combination Barriers to Free Speech at Work, in China and At Home By Gabrielle Simeck Following the detection of a mysterious pneumonia-like disease in Wuhan, China, disinformation, public confusion, and political censorship all intersected to create a dangerous public health crisis. One whistleblower story [...]
Government Accountability Project Staffers Sign On to DOJ Letter
Government Accountability Project Staffers Sign On to DOJ Letter 2,500+ Signatures Strong, Letter Calls for Barr’s Resignation By Emma Lyons More than 2,500 former Department of Justice (DOJ) officials have signed an open letter published Sunday calling on Attorney General William Barr to resign. This follows numerous reports of [...]
In Remembrance of Judge Nahum Litt
The Honorable Nahum "Naami" Litt (1935-2019) Government Accountability Project is saddened to announce the passing of the Honorable Naami Litt. A pioneer for corporate whistleblowers' free speech rights, Chief Judge Litt leaves a unique legacy that will make a difference for countless Americans. Officially high in the federal government's power [...]
Senate Bill to Overhaul Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Senate Bill to Overhaul Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On December 12, 2019, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the “Farm System Reform Act,” a sweeping piece of legislation designed to address the worst ills of factory farms, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The Food Integrity Campaign (FIC) is [...]
Fast Facts on Legal Accountability for Outing the Anonymous Whistleblower
Fast Facts on Legal Accountability for Outing the Anonymous Whistleblower By Tom Devine, Legal Director Donald Trump, Jr. and others’ enthusiastic efforts to expose the anonymous impeachment whistleblowers are felonies under relevant whistleblower laws, and the President has liability for launching their campaign through his own demands. While commentators are [...]
Tom Devine Accepts Award on Behalf of Whistleblowers
Tom Devine Accepts Award on Behalf of Whistleblowers The Coalition for Integrity presented their annual awards on October 30 to recognize individuals and groups for their work on transparency and commitment to anti-corruption. An award was presented to Government Accountability Project’s Legal Director Tom Devine, which he accepted on behalf [...]
Guest Blog: Whistleblower Case Exposes Gaps in Federal Protections
Whistleblower Case Exposes Gaps in Federal Protections By Shanna Devine, former Government Accountability Project investigator and current worker health and safety advocate at Public Citizen. A whistleblower’s disclosure that President Donald Trump abused his power to “solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election,” has gripped the nation and [...]
A Timely Panel: Government Accountability Project Joins Bestselling Author for Launch of Book Tour
A Timely Panel: Government Accountability Project Joins Bestselling Author for Launch of Book Tour By Emma Lyons On Tuesday, October 1st, Government Accountability Project was honored to be an integral part of the launch of New York Times-bestselling author Tom Mueller’s new book, Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age [...]