(Washington, DC) – Today at 4:30 p.m., prominent government whistleblowers will visit Princeton University and relay their stories of standing up for truth and persevering despite harsh retaliation. Two notable newsmakers will participate: Cathy Harris, former senior inspector for the U.S. Customs Service who disclosed the practice of discriminatory racial profiling, and Thomas Tamm, former Department of Justice attorney who disclosed the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping during the George W. Bush administration.

The event, Whistleblowing in Society: Tales from Two who Told the Truth, is a moderated conversation with these truth-tellers and a whistleblowing expert. Sponsored by Princeton’s Program in Law and Public Affairs and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the free event (open to the public) takes place on campus in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, at 4:30 p.m.

The speakers are part of the Government Accountability Project’s (GAP) acclaimed program, the American Whistleblower Tour: Essential Voices for Accountability. GAP’s Tour is a dynamic campaign aimed at educating the public – particularly university students – about the phenomenon and practice of whistleblowing. A full description of the Tour can be found at www.WhistleblowerTour.org.

The conversation features the following participants:

Cathy Harris, a former senior inspector for the U.S. Customs Service (USCS) at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, disclosed to the media the USCS practice of discriminatory racial profiling. She verified her suspicions that women of African descent were wrongfully targeted for detention and strip searches as possible drug couriers. It was found that only three percent of those women were actually carrying drugs, whereas drugs were found on 30 percent of white travelers who were detained and searched. Harris’ revelations resulted in a damning U.S. Government Accountability Office study of USCS profiling practices, and federal legislation to reform these unconstitutional practices.

Thomas Tamm was a well-regarded Justice Department attorney in the Capital Cases Unit who, in 2003, transferred to the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR) – perhaps the most sensitive unit within the Justice Department. While working there, Tamm became aware of a program that bypassed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. After Tamm’s inquiries about the program repeatedly ran into walls of silence, he contacted the New York Times, which in 2005 ran an explosive Pulitzer Prize-winning cover story about the George W. Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. The program was in fact part of wide-ranging covert surveillance activities authorized by President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11. Although the law creating the FISA court made it a federal crime for any official to engage in such surveillance absent adherence to strict rules, including court approval, it was Tamm who became a target of law enforcement officials. In August 2007, 18 FBI agents raided Tamm’s home, executing a search warrant in furtherance of locating the source of the Times story. Tamm was also the subject of a six-year federal criminal investigation. As the result of his courage and the ensuing ordeal, Tamm received the 2009 Ridenour Truth-Telling Award.

Beatrice Edwards is a recognized expert on whistleblowing, serving as both GAP Executive Director and International Program Director. She is responsible for the organization’s actions defending whistleblowers through Congress, the media and the courts. She has 30 years experience working on labor issues, anti-corruption measures and public service reforms in international and national settings (Edwards is substituting for GAP Senior Fellow Dana Gold, who cannot travel due to weather).

Paul Frymer, who will offer commentary, is an Associate Professor at Princeton’s Politics department. He writes and teaches on topics in American politics, institutions, law, state theory, and American political development, particularly as they intersect with issues of democratic representation, race and civil rights, and labor and employment rights. An author of several books, Frymer currently serves as Acting Director of the Law and Public Affairs Program.

Dana Gold, GAP Senior Fellow and Director of the American Whistleblower Tour, stated: “We are excited to bring whistleblowers to Princeton University. As an institution that produces leaders who will likely serve in positions of great influence, the commitment of Princeton’s LAPA program to bring whistleblowers of great integrity to campus and engage with students demonstrates the value placed on speaking up about wrongdoing, the importance of doing so effectively and responsibly, and how the act of whistleblowing can directly serve the public interest.”

About the Tour

The American Whistleblower Tour has stopped at four universities thus far this academic season, including events at Florida International University, American University, West Virginia University and Auburn University. After Princeton, the Tour will visit the University of Southern California, Syracuse, Stanford, Temple, and West Chester.

During the 2012-13 academic year, the American Whistleblower Tour visited 11 colleges, including Indiana University, Portland State University, James Madison University, Franklin & Marshall College, American University and University of Houston-Clear Lake. GAP secures some of the most prominent whistleblowers in American history for its Tour. Previous whistleblower presenters have included Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers), Frank Serpico (NYPD), and Thomas Drake (NSA).

Goals of the Tour include raising awareness about the vital role whistleblowing has in our democracy, preparing America’s youth for ethical decision-making, countering negative connotations associated with whistleblowing, connecting prospective whistleblowers to available resources, and encouraging academic studies of whistleblowing.

Contact: Dylan Blaylock, GAP Communications Director
Phone: 202.457.0034, ext. 137
Email: [email protected]

Government Accountability Project
The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

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