Thousands of Petitioners Tell Inspector General to Back Off Demand for POGO’s Whistleblower Records

More than 18,500 people have signed a petition asking the Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Veterans Affairs to drop its demand for the names of whistleblowers who have contacted the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). POGO delivered the petition signatures to the IG’s office today.

In the days and weeks since falsification of records at VA hospitals made national headlines, POGO collected tips from nearly 800 whistleblowers through an encrypted form at VAOversight.org, a website that POGO and its partners at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) launched May 15.

Acting VA IG Richard Griffin subsequently issued a subpoena to POGO asking for all information POGO has received related to problems at the VA, including the names of any VA employees or veterans who have contacted POGO.

POGO has refused to comply with Griffin’s demands for its records, saying that the subpoena violated its First Amendment rights of speech, press and association.

Follow the link to read POGO’s response to the subpoena.