Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - Scott Bloch

Scott Bloch: I'm not going anywhere -- and no one can make me

crew — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 07:53:40 -0500

Al Kamen updates us on the troubled tenure of Scott Bloch as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. CREW has never been a fan. Troubled Bloch's tenure may be, including a federal investigation, but he's not going anywhere.

Doesn't appear that Office of Special Counsel chief Scott J. Bloch, steadfast protector of government whistle-blowers and staunch guardian against political activity in the federal workplace, is going to be leaving office anytime soon.

Sure, he's had his home and office raided by FBI agents, who carted off boxes of documents and equipment. And yes, he and more than a dozen current and former OSC folks have been subpoenaed to testify in an investigation of allegations of political bias, obstruction of justice and mismanagement.

Watchdog groups have asserted that Bloch launched investigations of Justice Department and Federal Aviation Administration wrongdoing as a ploy to make it difficult for the administration to oust him. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, speaking to reporters after the FBI raids, was asked whether that situation was "problematic."

"No," Mukasey said. "If there is probable cause to believe that somebody has committed a crime," and you get a search warrant to investigate, "then it is not problematic to investigate that person. That that person happens to be investigating or purporting to investigate" the Justice Department "is not problematic. It may be ironic or curious. It is not problematic."

Republicans, Democrats and outside watchdogs have complained that the OSC is in shambles and have long demanded Bloch's resignation. On Monday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) noted that Bloch's top deputy, James Byrne, recently quit -- and is now working for former deputy attorney general James Comey at Lockheed. Waxman added that "the mission, independence and very existence of the Office of Special Counsel are, and shall remain, at risk," and called for Bloch's departure.

Fat chance. "Thank you for your letter," Bloch wrote back yesterday. "I was appointed by the President and confirmed unanimously . . . for a five-year term. That term ends on January 5, 2009.

"As you may already be aware, the President very recently declined an invitation to dismiss me," he wrote, "at least according to news accounts. I will note your concerns and will take them under advisement as I consider the remaining few months of my term."

Pretty easy to translate that one.

House Judiciary Committee wants to investigate Scott Bloch

crew — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:14:57 -0500

Last week, we reported on the resignation of Scott Bloch's deputy, which included scathing criticism of his boss. Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers announced that he would be investigating Bloch:

A House panel has announced an investigation into Scott Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, after an outgoing aide said Bloch's failure to resign is hurting the agency.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., said Friday he hopes to talk in the near future to Bloch's former top deputy, Jim Byrne, whose scathing resignation letter came to light Friday.

"The mission, independence and very existence of the Office of Special Counsel are -- and shall remain -- at risk unless and until this agency is afforded a ... leader who is capable of putting OSC's mission and OSC's people ahead of political agendas and personal vendettas," Byrne wrote.

Citing charges Bloch improperly interfered with OSC work, Conyers said the letter bolsters "long-standing concerns" that "partisanship has influenced the outcome of investigations."

FBI agents in May raided OSC offices and Bloch's home as part of a grand jury probe into whether Bloch destroyed computer files sought in an investigation that Bloch illegally retaliated against agency whistleblowers.

Scott Bloch's deputy resigns noting "political agendas and personal vendettas"

crew — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:25:49 -0500

CREW never had much confidence in Special Counsel Scott Bloch. Last April after Bloch announced plans to investigate the White House political operaition, Melanie Sloan said:

Having transformed OSC into a virtual black hole for legitimate complaints of retaliation, Bloch is decidedly not the right person to tackle the issues of misconduct and illegality that surround top White House officials. There is a serious question as to whether Bloch will just provide cover for an administration that has been covering for him.

Yesterday's Bloch's deputy, James Byrne, resigned. Seems he shares some of CREW's concerns:

Byrne's reasons for quitting are outlined in a July 10 letter to Bloch. The letter was obtained by The Associated Press.

In it, Byrne writes that the Office of Special Counsel needs a leader who does not put political agendas and personal vendettas ahead of its mission and employees.

FBI raids office and home of Special Counsel Scott Bloch

crew — Tue, 6 May 2008 16:02:17 -0500

Just over a year ago, when it was announced that Scott Bloch and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) were investigating scandals involving the Bush administration's political operation, CREW made it clear that Bloch was the wrong person to be investigating anyone:

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), headed up by highly controversial presidential appointee Scott Bloch, is the wrong entity for this investigation. The fact that OSC has been charged with handling these matters suggests the possibility that the White House is orchestrating a cover-up of its illegal and improper activities.

Bloch has come under widespread criticism for his gross mismanagement and politicization of the office. Bloch is currently under investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for his mistreatment of career appointees, who have alleged the exact kind of retaliation that OSC is designed to investigate. OSC employees have alleged that Bloch has tossed out legitimate whistleblower cases to reduce the office backlog. The probe into Bloch’s conduct has been stymied by the fear of OSC staff that speaking to investigators will result in reprisal. Prominent conservatives, who support Bloch in part because he adopted a sexual orientation policy that makes it more difficult for gay employees to allege discrimination, have called on President Bush to protect Bloch from the OPM investigation.

Today, the FBI raided Bloch's home and office:

Agents from the FBI and the Office of Personnel Management today raided the headquarters of Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch as part of a probe into whether he obstructed justice by having his computer files erased.

Bloch was served with a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury in Washington, and about 17 other mid- and high-level employees were served as well, according to a source who has seen the subpoenas. About 20 federal agents were seeking a broad range of records at the Office of Special Counsel headquarters at 1730 M Street NW, and the office's e-mail system was shut down during the search, the source added.

Agents also raided Bloch's home in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, hauling away boxes of files in unmarked cars that pulled up to the residence on Stockade Drive. Agents declined to speak with a reporter, and no one answered the door of the home after the agents left.

Scott Bloch says the Dept. of Justice is blocking his investigation

crew — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:14:12 -0600

CREW never thought Scott Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel, was the right person to lead the investigation involving the Bush administration -- including the firings of the U.S. Attorneys. Bloch has his own ethical issues.

But, Bloch is being blocked by the Department of Justice according to a report in today's Los Angeles Times:

The government agency that enforces one of the principal laws aimed at keeping politics out of the civil service has accused the Justice Department of blocking its investigation into alleged politicizing of the department under former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.

Scott J. Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, wrote Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey last week that the department had repeatedly "impeded" his investigation by refusing to share documents and provide answers to written questions, according to a copy of Bloch's letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

The Justice Department wants Bloch to wait until its own internal investigation is completed. A department official signaled recently that the investigation is examining the possibility of criminal charges.

But that, the regulator wrote, could take until the last months of the Bush administration, "when there is little hope of any corrective measures or discipline possible" being taken by his office.

Lessons Learned -- Erase that Hard Drive

Anne Weismann — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:04:51 -0600

Perhaps they are following the tone set by this administration: if you don’t like the record you created, erase it. Yesterday, it was reported that Scott Bloch, the head of the Office of Special Counsel who himself is under investigation for improperly retaliating against employees and dismissing whistleblower cases with little or no examination, used an outside computer techie from “Geeks on Call” to do a “seven-level” wipe of his government computer hard drive. It just so happens that a “seven-level” wipe meets Defense Department security standards for making data impossible to recover.

Now we have learned that former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has also been charged with destroying government-owned hard drives when he left office last January. As these incidents show, there is little or no effective enforcement of record-keeping requirements at either the state or federal level.

CREW has been dogging White House efforts to destroy administration records and most recently convinced a federal district court judge to issue a temporary restraining order against the White House for back-up copies of the millions of emails deleted from White House servers. The sad reality, however, is that if the electronic records have been successfully deleted there is little that can be done. In the case of the White House, we can hope that some back-up copies still exist; if not, efforts to hold White House officials accountable for their actions will be greatly impeded. CREW has already called on Congressman Henry Waxman, chair of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, to consider amendments to the Presidential Records Act that would permit groups like CREW to sue to prevent an incumbent president from destroying his presidential records. As the most recent events make clear, even greater reforms are needed and, just as importantly, groups like the National Archives and Records Administration need to step up their oversight at the federal level.

More controversy for Scott Bloch

crew — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:59:31 -0600

Scott Bloch, who is supposed to be conducting investigations of Bush administration officials, has found himself embroiled in another controversy. And, it is another Bush administration scandal involving computers according to today's Wall Street Journal:

The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call.

Scott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006.

At the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination.

Recently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said.

Bypassing his agency's computer technicians, Mr. Bloch phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-help service. It dispatched a technician in one of its signature PT Cruiser wagons. In an interview, the 49-year-old former labor-law litigator from Lawrence, Kan., confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he was trying to eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer.

Mr. Bloch said no documents relevant to any investigation were affected. He also says the employee claims against him are unwarranted. Mr. Bloch believes the White House may have a conflict of interest in pressing the inquiry into his conduct while his office investigates the White House political operation. Concerned about possible damage to his reputation, he cites a Washington saying, "You're innocent until investigated."

CREW never thought Bloch was the person who should be conducting investigations of Bush administration scandals -- as Melanie Sloan made quite clear last April:

Having transformed OSC into a virtual black hole for legitimate complaints of retaliation, Bloch is decidedly not the right person to tackle the issues of misconduct and illegality that surround top White House officials. There is a serious question as to whether Bloch will just provide cover for an administration that has been covering for him.

This latest scandal involving Bloch reaffirms our concerns.

Scott Bloch's investigation of Karl Rove and White House e-mails may run out of money

crew — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:20:29 -0500

We've never been big fans of Scott Bloch who heads the White House Office of Special Counsel. Last April Bloch was going to investigate the White House political operation:

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), headed up by highly controversial presidential appointee Scott Bloch, is the wrong entity for this investigation. The fact that OSC has been charged with handling these matters suggests the possibility that the White House is orchestrating a cover-up of its illegal and improper activities.

Bloch has come under widespread criticism for his gross mismanagement and politicization of the office. Bloch is currently under investigation by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for his mistreatment of career appointees, who have alleged the exact kind of retaliation that OSC is designed to investigate.

Obviously, uur expectations that Bloch's investigation of Karl Rove were pretty low. Looks like our expectations will be met. ABC's Justin Rood reports that Bloch's investigation is running out of money:

A task force probing allegations of illegal activity by Karl Rove and other former and current White House officials is in jeopardy due to lack of funding, according to its spokesman.

Without a last-minute infusion of nearly $3 million, the special task force may be unable to pay its staff and buy the kind of technical equipment it needs to investigate allegations that White House political operatives may have improperly injected politics into government activities, according to Jim Mitchell, spokesman for the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

In April, Special Counsel Scott Bloch announced that a new, six-member task force from his office would probe the use of private e-mail accounts by White House aides, the firing of at least one U.S. attorney by administration appointees and presentations of political data by White House aides to other officials in government.

The cost of the task force for 2008 would be $2.89 million, according to OSC estimates. But Bloch started the probe long after he submitted his 2008 budget request. And now he's having a hard time convincing those holding the nation's purse strings to loosen up and give him some last-minute extra funding.

Lurita Doan will testify before House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs Reform

crew — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:16:26 -0500

In the wake of the scathing report accusing Lurita Doan of violating the Hatch Act, the embattled Administrator of the General Services Administration will appear at a House hearing today:

Democrats on a House committee will question the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) today about accusations that she improperly engaged in partisan politics, but committee Republicans are expected to turn the session into a bare-knuckled free-for-all.

GSA Administrator Lurita Doan was accused in a report given this week to the White House by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) of engaging in partisan politics during a Jan. 26 PowerPoint presentation to 30 GSA political appointees on the 2006 midterm elections and prospects for the 2008 elections.

U.S. Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch, who heads OSC, told President Bush in the report that Mrs. Doan engaged in "the most pernicious of political activity" banned by the 1939 Hatch Act and recommended that she "be disciplined to the fullest extent."

Ironically, Bloch, who has been criticized by CREW, among others, for his partisanship, will face an attack from GOP members of the House committee:

Republicans, angry about the report and its conclusions, are expected to turn the tables on Mr. Bloch during the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, seeking instead to talk about what they have described as his "flawed conclusion and analysis."

"Mr. Bloch's report concerning Mrs. Doan begins and ends with extreme exaggeration," said a high-ranking Republican congressional source. "The fact that he can't imagine a more egregious violation of the Hatch Act boggles the mind; that Mrs. Doan engaged in pernicious political activity boggles the mind.

Punish Lurita Doan "to the fullest extent" for violating Hatch Act says Scott Bloch

crew — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:29:43 -0500

Scott Bloch, who heads the Office of Special Counsel, finally reported to President Bush that Lurita Doan violated the Hatch Act and should be punished. Pretty strong condemnation:

The head of the main federal contracting agency, a longtime GOP supporter, should be "punished to the fullest extent" for violating a ban on political advocacy on government time, a watchdog agency concluded.

The Office of Special Counsel, in a letter to President Bush released late Monday, said General Services Administrator Lurita Doan engaged in "the most pernicious of political activity" banned by the 1939 Hatch Act when she asked, at a meeting of General Services Administration political appointees, how they could help Republican candidates.

"I recommend that Administrator Doan be disciplined to the fullest extent for her serious violation of the Hatch Act and insensitivity to cooperating fully and honestly in the course of our investigation," wrote Scott Bloch, special counsel for the independent investigative and prosecutorial agency.