Letter from POGO to Senate Disputing Office of Special Counsel Testimony

Hon. George V. Voinovich, Chairman

U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight

Of Government Management, the Federal

Workforce and the District of Columbia

Hon. Daniel K. Akaka, Ranking Member

U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oversight

Of Government Management, the Federal

Workforce and the District of Columbia

RE: Letter for the Record of Congressional hearing on Office of Special Counsel

Dear Senators Akaka and Voinovich:

The Project On Government Oversight would like to thank you for holding oversight hearings on the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) last week. We have become increasingly concerned about the handling of whistleblower cases by that office.

At the hearing held last week, an op-ed was introduced into the Congressional Record written by U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch. This op-ed, as well as statements made by Scott Bloch, distort the Office of Special Counsel's track record. The Project On Government Oversight wrote a response to this op-ed for the Federal Times which is enclosed.

Mr. Bloch has claimed that the number of whistleblower cases that he has referred to agency heads has doubled. In fact, referrals have been cut in half when compared to the total number of whistleblower disclosures processed by OSC.

Please continue to investigate how whistleblower cases are being handled. Serious questions have yet to be answered about whether the concerns of whistleblowers are being properly investigated and handled. Please include this in the record of the hearing. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Danielle Brian

Executive Director

Enclosure