FireDogLake: On May 9th, Stand Up for Imprisoned Torture Whistleblower John Kiriakou in Washington DC
The online outlet FireDogLake has organized a “Day of Action” this coming Friday, May 9, for CIA/torture whistleblower and GAP client John Kiriakou, who is currently serving a 30-month jail sentence in a Pennsylvania prison for exposing wrongdoing. Supporters of Kiriakou will “visit a select group of congressmen and senators to request that they contact the Bureau of Prisons to immediately move John to a halfway house near his family.” Information about this event is here.
Q13 Fox (Seattle): Whistleblower Warns of Dangerous Highway Guardrails Here
A pending whistleblower lawsuit alleges that a specific type of highway guardrail in use throughout the country is unsafe and fails to protect drivers that crash. The rail may be responsible for multiple deaths and disfigurements. The whistleblower alleges that the guardrail company, Trinity Industries, changed its design for monetary reasons without federal approval.
Untold History: William Binney and Thomas Drake on NSA Surveillance – An Alien Form of Government
This column is follow-up coverage from GAP’s recent American Whistleblower Tour stop at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, which is now available for viewing online. This piece relays the stories of NSA whistleblowers Tom Drake and Bill Binney, the effect of federal whistleblower reprisal on journalism, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s recent directive that aims to stop intelligence agency workers from speaking with members of the press (or advocates who work with the press) in any capacity. GAP National Security & Human Rights Counsel Kathleen McClellan is quoted on this last point.
Key Quote: McClellan chimes in: “…What the government likes to forget is that there is longstanding Supreme Court precedent that says that employees do have a First Amendment right to speak on matters of public concern. So, to the extent that the directive doesn’t distinguish between classified and unclassified information- it seems to at least fly right in the face of that longstanding precedent.”
Wall Street Journal: Sens. Grassley, Alexander Probe Labor Dept. Whistleblower Program
Last week, longtime whistleblower champion Sen. Charles Grassely (R-Iowa) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tn) sent a letter to David Michaels – head of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) within the Department of Labor – about the effectiveness of the OSHA whistleblower protection program. The senators sought “various metrics on the whistleblower program, including the number of open whistleblower cases pending for various periods of time and the total expenses of the program.” The letter was sent on the same day that Michaels testified before a Senate subcommittee on the agency’s whistleblower protections. GAP Legal Director Tom Devine also appeared at the hearing.
Dylan Blaylock is Communications Director for the Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.