Foreign Policy: Congratulations, Mr. Director-General. Now, Lawyer Up
Yesterday, Francis Gurry was elected to serve a second six-year term as head of the influential World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), part of the United Nations. However, the U.S. State Department made it clear to Gurry that he must participate in an independent investigation into his prior conduct.
The investigation stems from the allegations of WIPO Deputy Director-General James Pooley. That high-ranking official came forward last month to corroborate previous whistleblower allegations that Gurry directed WIPO security officers to burglarize WIPO staffers’ offices and secure personal items which contained DNA samples (dental floss, lipstick, etc). The items were then sent to Swiss police to help determine the identities of anonymous whistleblowers that exposed WIPO wrongdoing through letters. Pooley also alleged that Gurry steered a lucrative contract to an Australian acquaintance despite the company not having “been selected in the competitive process.”
In 2012, Gurry was also appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to head the U.N. “High-Level Committee on Management, which is responsible for addressing the day-to-day operations of the U.N. system.”
Key Quote: The episode places two close military and intelligence allies at odds over the fate of Australia’s most senior U.N. official. It also poses a test to Washington’s commitment to good governance and accountability in the U.N. system. In addition to his WIPO post, Gurry was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012 to chair the High-Level Committee on Management, which is responsible for addressing the day-to-day operations of the U.N. system. “The United States is deeply committed to transparency and accountability in WIPO as in all international organizations, including whistleblower protections,” the State Department official said.
New York Times: Intelligence Policy Bans Citation of Leaked Material
A new “pre-publication review of information” policy has been issued for all current and former employees and contractors of the Office of Director of National Intelligence. First reported on last night by Secrecy News, the NYT says the policy shows such workers “may not cite news reports based on leaks in their speeches, opinion articles, books, term papers or other unofficial writings.” This latest policy comes just weeks after DNI James Clapper issued a directive barring intelligence community (IC) employees from speaking to the media about intelligence-related matters, including unclassified matters, without authorization.
Key Quote: The Obama administration is clamping down on a technique that government officials have long used to join in public discussions of well-known but technically still-secret information: citing news reports based on unauthorized disclosures.
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Such officials “must not use sourcing that comes from known leaks, or unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information,” it says. “The use of such information in a publication can confirm the validity of an unauthorized disclosure and cause further harm to national security.”
KATU: Oregon Zoo Whistleblower – ‘They Were Caught with Their Pants Down’
A former safety manager at the Oregon Zoo claims he was fired from the institution in part for releasing security camera videotapes to police without notifying his superiors. The tapes show a woman slapping and pushing a child. The whistleblower alleges that zoo officials were angry over the negative media publicity, for which they were unprepared.
Associated Press: New Mexico Agency Sued in Whistleblower Case
Two former administrators have sued the New Mexico Economic Development Department, alleging that “they were fired for trying to expose wrongdoing in Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration.” The two whistleblowers claim that one of them was “directed to solicit money from business owners in Mexico to create a ‘slush fund’ for border area marketing.”
Dylan Blaylock is Communications Director for the Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.