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Office of Special Counsel
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
Memo: Analysis of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
August 18, 2011
Podcast: Get to Know an Agency: A Refresher Course on the Office of Special Counsel and Whistleblowers On this week's podcast, Adam Miles, from the Office of Special Council, gives an overview of how the OSC works with federal whistleblowers. Miles was a speaker at the July meeting of POGO's Congressional Oversight Training Series. The series is put on by POGO to train congressional staffers on the art of congressional oversight.
August 17, 2011
Groups Urge Court to Hold Accountable Disgraced Federal Official
September 8, 2010
Email Goof Exposes Whistleblower Problems at FAMS
December 8, 2008
Breaking the Sound Barrier: Experiences of Air Marshals Confirm Need for Reform at the OSC The Office of Special Counsel is the agency to which whistleblowers in the federal government must turn for help. This investigative report seeks not only to set the record straight on former Special Counsel Bloch's actual accomplishments, but also to provide lessons learned for the next Special Counsel. As a case study, POGO focused on the OSC's handling of federal air marshal cases for two reasons: President Bush has pointed to the critical role in homeland security played by air marshals, and Bloch himself has touted his work with air marshals as evidence of the success of his tenure. Despite contacting almost a dozen current and former air marshals who blew the whistle, POGO could not identify one instance in which the OSC upheld its responsibility to provide a secure whistleblower disclosure channel for the resolution of workplace improprieties, to protect whistleblowers from retaliation, and to hold accountable those responsible for whistleblower retaliation.
November 25, 2008
POGO Releases Report on Air Marshal Problems with the OSC
November 25, 2008
Special Counsel Scott Bloch Submits Resignation Letter
October 22, 2008
Rep. Waxman and Davis Call for Bloch's Resignation
July 29, 2008
POGO’s letter to White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten urging the removal of Scott Bloch as U.S. Special Counsel
July 17, 2008
Lurching from Bad to Worse to...
July 11, 2008
FBI Agents Raid OSC Offices
May 6, 2008
Groups Urge Congress to Deny Funds to Discredited Special Counsel Obstruction Delaying Completion of Investigation
October 11, 2007
New Probe of White House Already Foundering; Jurisdiction and Subpoena Limits Hamstring Questionable Special Counsel Gambit
April 26, 2007
Who Will Blink First? White House and OSC Investigate Each Other: Bloch Must Recuse Himself
April 24, 2007
Leave Sharon Stone Look at Home: Govt Sexism Investigator
September 7, 2006
Leave Sharon Stone Look at Home: Govt Sexism Investigator
September 7, 2006
FBI to Investigate Whistleblower Protection Agency New Complaint Charges Partisanship in Enforcement of Hatch Act
March 31, 2005
Special Counsel Tags Interns to Close Out Whistleblower Cases; Staff Resignations Leave Agency Short-Handed
March 9, 2005
Whistleblower Staff Blow the Whistle on Special Counsel OSC Staff Want Independent Investigation of Illegal Personnel Practices
March 3, 2005
Staff "PURGE" at Office of Special Counsel; Whistleblower Staff Claiming Retaliation Forced Moves to New "Midwest Field Office"
January 10, 2005
Joint POGO, PEER, GAP letter to members of Congress regarding U.S. Special Counsel, Scott Bloch's retaliation against employees
January 10, 2005
U.S. Special Counsel Issues Gag Order to His Own Employees
April 15, 2004
Related Resources
Announcement that Office of Personnel Management Inspector General will investigate Office of Special Counsel
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October 20, 2005
Letter from attorney representing OSC employees, POGO, and others expressing concerns about how investigation will be handled
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October 18, 2005
Letter from Office of Personnel Management regarding the opening of an investigation in response to filed complaint
Patricia A. Marshall, Special Counsel to Inspector General,
October 17, 2005
Attorney for OSC Staff, POGO and Others Urges Investigation be Opened
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October 12, 2005
A Hearing by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: "Safeguarding the Merit System: A Review of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel"
, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
May 24, 2005
Amended Complaint filed by POGO and others alleging the Special Counsel violated personnel rules
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March 31, 2005
Letter from Representative Christopher Shays to U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch
Christopher Shays,
March 9, 2005
Letter from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Chairman Susan Collins and Ranking Member Joseph Lieberman; and Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia Chairman George Voinovich and Ranking Member Daniel Akaka,
March 7, 2005
Complaint of Prohibited Personnel Practices Against U.S. Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch
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March 3, 2005
Complaint filed by POGO and others alleging the Special Counsel violated personnel rules
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March 3, 2005
Letter from Office of Special Counsel Staff to Congress
Employees of the Special Counsel,
January 13, 2005
POGO in the News
Former Office of Special Counsel chief can withdraw guilty plea, Charles S. Clark, Government Executive, August 4, 2011
Report: Whistleblower Office Fails to Protect Air Marshals, By Michael Grabell, ProPublica, November 25, 2008
'Rogue' special counsel chief ousted, By Jon Ward, Washington Times, October 24, 2008
Workers Applaud Special Counsel's Return to Private Sector, By Joe Davidson, Washington Post, October 22, 2008
Criticism is part of the job, embattled special counsel says, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, September 16, 2008
Interview with Jim Mitchell -- recently terminated U.S. Office of Special Counsel Chief of Staff/ Director of Communications, By Natasha Barrett, NewsChannel 8, September 10, 2008
More turmoil roils OSC as top deputy is fired, By Robert Brodsky, Government Executive, September 4, 2008
Waxman joins calls urging OSC chief to resign, By Dan Friedman, CongressDaily, July 29, 2008
Pressure builds on Special Counsel chief to resign, By Dan Friedman, CongressDaily, July 18, 2008
Bush Shuns Advice To Fire Special Counsel, By Ari Shapiro, National Public Radio, July 18, 2008
Office of Special Counsel official quits in protest, By Tom Hamburger, The Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2008
Office of Special Counsel official quits in protest, By Tom Hamburger, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2008
Think Again: The Case of the Missing Scandal, By Eric Alterman and George Zornick , Center for American Progress, May 29, 2008
United Whistleblowers Demand Resignation of Office of Special Counsel, by James Murtagh, OpEd News, May 24, 2008
Creation of Detroit office is focus of OSC inquiry, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, May 19, 2008
The Mutual Investigation Society?, By William Fisher May , Inter Press News Service, May 12, 2008
Memo Shows Frustration With Special Counsel, By Christopher Lee, Washington Post, May 11, 2008
The strange case of Scott Bloch, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, May 11, 2008
Watchdog, Watch Thyself, By Bonnie Goldstein, Slate, May 8, 2008
GOP's Davis Urges Bloch to Quit Special Counsel's Office, By Christopher Lee and Carrie Johnson, staff writer Stephen Barr also contributed to this report, Washington Post, May 8, 2008
Special Counsel shut down probe of Siegelman case last year, , WZTV Fox 17 / Nashville, May 7, 2008
Agents raid OSC chief's office, home, By Jerry Seper, Washington Times, May 7, 2008
Special counsel butted heads with staff over inquiries, By Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press, May 7, 2008
FBI search, leaked documents lead to renewed calls for ousting of Scott Bloch, By Elizabeth Newell and Dan Friedman, Government Executive, May 7, 2008
FBI raid on watchdog seeks records on Rice investigation, , McClatchy-Tribune, Postbulletin.com, May 7, 2008
Special Counsel shut down probe of Siegelman case last year, By Ben Evans, Associated Press; The Anniston Star, May 7, 2008
FBI scrutinizes special counsel's probe of Rice's trips, , Houston Chronicle, May 7, 2008
FBI raids special counsel's office, By Gregg Carlstrom, Federal Times, May 6, 2008
FBI agents search special counsel's home and office, By James Vicini and Andy Sullivan, Reuters, May 6, 2008
Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself, By John R. Wilke, The Wall Street Journal, November 28, 2007
That Whistle's Been Blowing for Two Years, By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, October 12, 2007
Special Counsel's Ties to White House Mar Probe, By William Fisher, Truthout.org, May 14, 2007
Some say Bloch should be careful, By Melissa Harris, Baltimore Sun, May 4, 2007
Agency watching the agencies walks fine line on conflict-of-interest issues, By Elana Schor , The Hill, April 25, 2007
Office of Special Counsel's War On Whistleblowers, By Daniel Schulman , Mother Jones, April 24, 2007
Special Counsel Accused Of Intimidation in Probe, by Elizabeth Williamson, Washington Post, February 16, 2007
Report shows little progress reducing case backlog at OSC, by Jenny Mandel, Govexec.com, November 9, 2006
A Published Dress Code Is Dressed Down in Furor: Office of Special Counsel Retreats From Sartorial Rules, By Elizabeth Williamson, The Washington Post, September 7, 2006
On Government Back Lot, Act 2 Of a Merit System Drama Opens, by Christopher Lee, Washington Post, October 27, 2005
OPM investigator launches probe of Office of Special Counsel chief, by Daniel Pulliam, Govexec.com, October 19, 2005
Special Counsel Answers Critics: Ahead of Hearing Today, Bloch Claims Progress in Case Backlog, By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post , May 24, 2005
Agency's Reorganization Results in Accusations, Employees Leaving, by Stephen Barr, Washington Post, March 18, 2005
Federal Whistleblower Office Faces Criticism, By Andrea Seabrook, All Things Considered, NPR, March 10, 2005
