Washington Examiner: IGs Form Front Line of War on Waste and Fraud, But Weak Links Remain
This article spotlights the supposed independent watchdog role of inspectors general within federal departments and agencies, which is in conflict with the frequent complaint that they “can become lapdogs of agency management by soft-peddling their findings, whitewashing reports or burying evidence of wrongdoing.” In the last two years, IGs at a half-dozen agencies have allegedly retaliated against whistleblowers or softened their findings to protect top officials or the administration.
Key Quote: “It’s important for the bureaucracies to maintain the appearance of independence for IGs,” said Tom Devine, legal director at the Government Accountability Project, an independent watchdog organization.
“Their role isn’t necessarily to ferret out government corruption but to maintain the appearance of integrity within the executive branch,” Devine said of weak IGs.
“That’s why they will be very enthusiastic at having a lot of reports against small fries but leaving officials who are directing more widespread corruption untouched. Maintaining appearances is unfortunately a priority that too frequently trumps actually getting meaningful results,” Devine said.
The Independent: Darfur Attacks – UN Puts Up a Wall of Silence over Latest Violence in Sudan
More coverage of GAP client Aicha Elbasri’s claims that the United Nations failed to adequately investigate allegations of rape and murder in Darfur, contrasting with the UN’s “overly sunny picture” that implied the peacekeeping mission to end the conflict there was succeeding.
Key Quote: “I had worked for the UN since 2000, and had never seen anything like this,” Ms Elbasri said. “I had certainly witnessed lies, half-truths and culpable silence, but not in a systematic and organised manner.”
After months of raising her concerns with her employers, she chose to blow the whistle and resigned in April last year.
News Record: Silenced – Whistleblower Documentary Debuts in Amsterdam
The documentary film, Silenced, was screened at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam last week. The film highlights the stories of prominent truth-tellers and GAP clients Thomas Drake (NSA whistleblower) and John Kiriakou (CIA whistleblower), as well as GAP National Security & Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack. Read GAP’s press release about the screening.
Key Quote: Focusing on several highly prominent clients of the Government Accountability Project, an organization protecting whistleblowers since 1977, the film outlined just how dangerous and life-changing the decisions made by these whistleblowers actually were. They were forced to choose between their own consciences and the possibility of losing not only their careers, but also their freedom.
The Guardian: ‘There Were Hundreds of Us Crying Out for Help’: The Afterlife of the Whistleblower
This in-depth piece chronicles the experiences of several whistleblowers, people who believed they were simply doing what they thought was right in exposing wrongdoing but who faced an onslaught of retaliation for doing so. Even if whistleblowers’ claims are substantiated, the impact on their lives can be overwhelming, including having “145 job applications turned down thereafter.” GAP President Louis Clark is quoted.
Key Quote: Louis Clark of the Government Accountability Project (GAP) in the US, which champions public and private sector whistleblowers, describes his organisation’s tactics as being about replacing the lost “circle of support” with a new one, drawing on those who might benefit from the released information. As the aggressor agency tries to focus attention on the whistleblower, Gap turns the attention back to the original problem. At this stage, Clark tells me, it’s amazing how often relationships within the aggressor group start to break down.
…
“I think whistleblowing is happening more because people believe it can make a difference,” Clark says. “These days we seldom lose a case when there’s a public hearing. And it was noticeable that the argument about Edward Snowden in the US was not over whether whistleblowing is good – it was about whether he counts as a real whistleblower. That’s a big change and in time it will change us all.”