NPR: FBI Searches Office of Special Counsel Building

[Hissyspit]

Source: NPR

FBI Searches Office of Special Counsel Building

by Ari Shapiro

Listen: Ari Shapiro Discusses the Raid on 'Day to Day'
add
Enlarge
Scott Bloch has been special counsel since 2004. U.S. Office of Special Counsel

NPR.org, May 6, 2008 · FBI agents on Tuesday raided the offices of Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch, who oversees protection for federal whistleblowers. The agents seized computers and shut down email service as part of an obstruction of justice probe, NPR has exclusively learned.

FBI agents also searched Bloch's home and a Special Counsel field office in Dallas. A grand jury in Washington issued subpoenas for several OSC employees, including Bloch, according to NPR sources who spoke on condition their names not be used.

Bloch, who has also been under investigation for allegedly retaliating against career employees and obstructing an investigation, was being questioned at his Washington, D.C. office on Tuesday morning, according to the NPR sources.

In OSC offices across the country, email access was shut down late Tuesday morning. Six FBI agents arrived at the Washington field office before noon. Within an hour, the number had grown to 20. The FBI agents seized several computers, including the one belonging to Bloch. Separately, other agents searched Bloch's home and a grand jury in Washington issued subpoenas for several OSC employees.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90223448

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. LINK BELOW

FBI Searches Office of Special Counsel Building

by Ari Shapiro

NPR.org, May 6, 2008 · A multi-year investigation leads federal agents to search the Office of Special Counsel's building. Employees have alleged the agency was misused for political purposes.

Neither Office of Special Counsel head Scott Bloch nor anyone else has officially been charged with a crime. But the FBI secured a separate subpoena for Bloch's home.

According to an article from The Wall Street Journal from last year, Bloch used a private tech company — Geeks on Call — to delete e-mails instead of using his office's federal technicians.

The Office of Special Counsel is in charge of investigating whistleblower complaints by federal employees. Late this morning, the entire office's email system was shut down — a fact that the San Francisco field office confirmed.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90223448

[damntexdem]

18. Hmm, the FBI must figure it's getting an entirely new boss come January.

;-)

[Hissyspit]

61. ANALYSIS HERE: from Larisa Alexancrovna and Firedoglake

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3253600&mesg_id=3253600

[defendandprotect]

79. Push/Recommend ---

[babylonsister]

2. Oooh, is that Bloch? Can't wait to hear what this is about!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Bloch

Controversies

"Sexual orientation" erasure

Bloch has been a lightning rod for controversy since he took the position in the Office of Special Counsel. His first major actions as head of the office were to choose as deputy a Catholic lawyer who had publicly taken a position against the "homosexual agenda", and to hire young lawyers from Ave Maria School of Law, the conservative Catholic school founded by Domino's Pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan.<2> In February 2004, Bloch was embroiled in controversy when, shortly after joining the OSC, he ordered all mention of sexual orientation workplace nondiscrimination be removed from OSC's website and printed materials. Bloch stated his office lacked the authority to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. <3>

Bloch's critics charged that gay employees were protected by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which prohibits discrimination against federal employees "on the basis of conduct which does not adversely affect the performance of the employee." Since its enactment, all five prior presidential administrations (Ford, Carter, Reagan, H. W. Bush, and Clinton) had interpreted this law to protect gay employees. <4>

After complaints from Congress, <5> the Bush Administration released a statement saying gay employees were still protected in April 2004. <6> Bloch quickly bowed to political pressure and issued a statement that after conducting a legal analysis: "It is the policy of this administration that discrimination in the federal workforce on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited." <7>

This did not satisfy gay rights organizations, which claimed a lack of enforcement of the policy. The OSC has still not restored the language on its website or printed materials. <8> <9> Notably the Federal GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Employees of the Federal Government) called for Bloch's resignation. <10>

Bloch later retracted his statements and stated his office did not have the legal authority to protect employees from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. (see Refusal to Investigate Complaints below)

Refusal to investigate complaints

Media sources, Congress, and gay rights organizations continued to criticize Special Counsel Bloch and the OSC's lack of enforcement of its policies, particularly in regards to dismissing gay discrimination complaints.

For example, Michael Levine, a 65-year-old and openly gay radio technician, claimed that, after he blew the whistle on a coworker's and his supervisor's workplace misconduct, a personnel officer engaged in retaliatory action against him: pursuing knowingly false allegations of child pornography against Levine, suspending Levine for 14 days, seizing his computer, and referring to gay people as "those fucking faggots".<11>

One year after filing both a retaliation and antigay discrimination complaint with the OSC, Levine received a letter from the OSC on December 28, 2004. Without interviewing even a single witness, the OSC wrote that it was unable to investigate the complaints because only conduct, not sexual orientation, was protected under the Civil Service Act of 1978 <11> -- a reversal of Bloch's April 8, 2004 statement that sexual orientation-based discrimination was prohibited due to imputed conduct and therefore that the OSC has the authority to pursue such complaints. <7>

After being embroiled in a related "internal purge" controversy (see below), Special Counsel Bloch testified before a Senate panel on May 24, 2005 and reiterated his original position that he lacked the authority to protect federal employees on the basis of sexual orientation. <12> The next day, the Log Cabin Republicans called on Bloch to resign. <13>

[GodlessBiker]

7. Wow. Thanks.

[tavalon]

73. It will be nice to see this jackass go down

[Bumblebee]

3. That's about Karl Rove and fired attorneys.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90223448

See all the older articles listed there as well.

Update: I take it back -- he may be the good guy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/29/AR2007112902401.html?nav=rss_politics

TPM has more:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/fbi_raids_home_office_of_offic.php

[intheflow]

24. Doubt he's a good guy.

It looks to me like BushCo. was trying to frame him for being solely responsible for whistleblower retailiation, and he decided to fight back. That's just conjecture on my part, but given this administration's history, it seems pretty plausible to me.

[struggle4progress]

72. Another incompetent petty crook and tyrant. When he realized that wiping the disk had

put him in over his head, he suddenly (and very belated) tried to make friends on the other side of the aisle by criticizing fellow scum-sucker Lurita Doan. So BushCo finally had to toss Doan overboard, but they don't take a shine to such independence, and now it's Bloch's turn to walk the plank

[SlingBlade]

4. These people have NO ethics

Gawd, I cant wait until this is over

Seven of the longest years of my life!

[RufusTFirefly]

12. What makes you think this nightmare is going to end?

Just askin'

The notion that a group of ruthless people would voluntarily turn over the reins of power -- not to mention mountains of incriminating evidence -- to an uncooperative administration strikes me as, well, "quaint."

Sure hope I'm wrong.

[frogcycle]

33. spot on

I don't know what they have planned, but it is NOT just walking away.

[Mountainman]

36. I was thinking the other day what it would be like if Bush tried to call off the elections and

suspend the constitution like he says he can in an emergency that he decides is emergency enough.

I was wondering who would go along with it and who wouldn't. And what would both side do. Would we have fighting in the streets. Would we be outlawed for speaking against it? Is that what the detention camps are for?

Would a Dem congress just disband itself?

I too don't see them walking away from power as pretty as you please. My thinking is that there will be such a national disaster and Bush/Cheney will suspend the Constitution and this great noble experiment shall perish from the earth.

What's to stop them? If enough authority and military go along with it we have no choice in the matter. But if enough people stand up to him quite possibly the could be frog marched out of the White House. That would be the only sane thing to do. The secret service should refuse to protect them and the FBI should arrest them.

[valerief]

51. Hey, US prisons haven't been built and filled since the Reagan

years for nothing. That's where Blackwater gets its army and I'll bet there are enough of them to do the Chimperor's bidding. The coup has started. It just hasn't fully played out yet.

[southerncrone]

57. They will not go without a HUGH fight!

I agree with all of you: Rufus, frogcycle, Mountainman, valerief, bobbolink.

There will be some sort of coup de fukus. They will not give up the power without a HUGH fight! Be it dirty or otherwise. And with them, it's sure to be dirty. Probably another Nine eleven or such. It would have to be horrendous, because a good chunk of citizens have their suspicions of this cabal.

I feel like our future is teetering on the edge. We could find ourselves slaves to these monsters, or we might finally rid ourselves of them. I hope & pray for the latter.

This article does give me hope that there may actually be some White Knights in our government.

[defendandprotect]

66. Yeah .... and he had to go thru like 20 Generals to bind Petraeus . . .

but presumably the Secret Service would be people very loyal to him ---

knowing full well how important it is to not let your guard down!!

[defendandprotect]

67. Better yet, think of what a creep like Colin Powell would do... !! ???

[defendandprotect]

68. What office is it that's trying to get rid of Patrick Fitzgerald . . . ????

[bobbolink]

41. You're so very right!

The only one who PROMISED to reduce the power of the corporations (who are behind all this shit) was pressured out of the race.

:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

[Divine Discontent]

46. :*( I know, bobbolink.

but don't think John won't keep Barack honest about fighting the crime. I think Barack will be a good president. I hope he gets it, and I really hope our fave gets a position in the administration where he can wipe out some criminals screwing over the people of this country, who have gotten away with it, knowingly, from B*sh.

[bobbolink]

53. Nope, I don't want him in any administration, and certainly NOT as attorney general!

He is the ONLY spokesperson I have, and I fervently hope he will be the Gore of poverty!!!

Otherwise, his talents are wasted.

[Divine Discontent]

54. well I see that argument

under the 'guiding hand' of an administration he might get muted. Good point. I'm glad he's remained unaffiliated to this point.

[bobbolink]

58. Exactly. How could a anti-greedy corporation man work for a pro-corporation president?

He's NOT the one who needs to "compromise".

:hi:

[RufusTFirefly]

48. "A complete fantasy"

"Some people argue that we’re going to sit at a table with these people and they’re going to voluntarily give their power away. I think it is a complete fantasy; it will never happen." -- John Edwards

And with that, his hopes of becoming President became a complete fantasy.

Granted, Edwards was referring to so-called "special interests," but of course the Bush Admin is the ultimate run-amok special interest.

Or as another presidential candidate once expressed it, George Bush is a "giant corporation running for president disguised as a person."

[bobbolink]

52. I heard him say once "We can't nice their power away." ^_^

"And with that, his hopes of becoming President became a complete fantasy."

And from some of his other comments..... like breaking up the media conglomerates. And what he said about the insurance companies, and the other "greedy corporations". Nope, they weren't gonna tolerate that.

Remember about a week before he suspended, there was a threatening letter from the national head of the Chamber of Commerce?

Yup, they got to him.

It was clear from his speech.

:cry:

[RufusTFirefly]

69. Kind of curious that he dropped out BEFORE Super Tuesday

He could've stopped spending money but let residual momentum carry him through Super Tuesday. Had he done so, he almost certainly would've wound up with some delegates to use as leverage. I thought his rather abrupt departure was kind of strange. Perhaps they made him an offer...

[Alcibiades]

78. I kind of think that his wife's illness

had something to do with it. After watching how this primary has developed, it is a question--is that the way you'd want to spend your last days on earth? Deeply tragic. I don't think we've heard the last of John Edwards, though.

[bobbolink]

82. I don't think so at all. She is doing well. Please see my post below yours.

:cry:

[bobbolink]

81. Again... They GOT to him. They're much more sophisticated now, and don't have to assassinate peopl

any more.. they have other ways.

Two things:

Remember the week before he suspended..... there was a threatening letter sent out by the national head of the Chamber of Commerce. It was unmistakeably a threat.

Did you see his suspending speech? Here is a man who is so smooth on his feet. Twenty years as a trial lawyer, knows how to size up juries, so he speaks very well in crowds. Well, he was stammering, stuttering, looking tense --very unlike the John Edwards we have seen for so long now.

No, there was much more to it.

We'll probably never know.

:cry:

[Gonnuts]

77. Exactly ...

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Another "false-flag" attack to bitch-slap the sheeple back into line. There is no way in Hell that these cretins are going to go down easy. I give it a 50/50 shot elections are even held. Or if they are that they'll be so tainted as to be meaningless. And look for McInsane to be our next POTUS. For once we attack Iran we'll see $7-8 gas, food riots, Marshall Law and E-voting machines cramming another war-mongering ass down our throats.

And for any one that doubts this can happen I want to know who has been held accountable for 3,000 murders in broad day-light that lead us into two illegal wars of aggression, not to mention a long list of other crimes this administration has been guilty of?

People shouldn't be deluding themselves that all they have to do is hold their breath until 09' and than everything will be alright. We have 9 long months left where bush&co. can work their evil magic and you can bet the house they won't just go quietly into the night.

[Up2Late]

71. Seven of the longest years of YOUR life? Ha! Look what these 8 years did to Jon Stewart!

Before Bush


After Bush

[helderheid]

5. More

__________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal

May 6, 2008

FBI agents raided the Office of Special Counsel in Washington, an independent agency created by Congress in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Agents seized computers and documents belonging to the agency chief, Scott Bloch, and staff. Agents also searched Bloch's home. Employees said the searches appeared focused on alleged obstruction of justice by Bloch during the course of a 2006 inquiry into his conduct in office. Bloch's agency is typically involved in senstive investigations of alleged government wrongdoing.

For more information, see:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121009238217171025.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

The article link above is also mobile friendly. Mobile users, click the link to see this story now.

[helderheid]

6. rec'd

[OnyxCollie]

8. More about Scott Bloch.

http://www.whistleblower.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=122

He was "investigating" Lurita Doan, wasn't he?

[PassingFair]

9. There is more here than meets the eye....

should be interesting to see what shakes out...

[lonestarnot]

10. waiting and watching

[burythehatchet]

11. Remember a time when this would have been the most important story of the year?

Me too.

[stanley01]

14. Bloch

They are all going down one by one by one

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tinksrival]

15. Is this the DOJ protecting itself again!

Or are we finally going to get somewhere? Who engaged the FBI?? Will anybody ever pay ??

[Wilber_Stool]

29. It was probably done by a

rouge FBI cell whose mission is to do its fucking job.

[maddezmom]

16. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

:)

FBI raids special counsel's office By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - The FBI has raided the office of U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch in an inquiry of whether he obstructed justice by having his computer files erased.

FBI officials said computers and documents were seized from Bloch's office during the raid Tuesday morning.

Investigators say Bloch is suspected of hiring an outside company to scrub his computer amid a federal investigation of alleged misconduct in his office.

The inquiry has been under way for more than a year and is looking into charges of intimidation and retaliation against whistle-blowers among staff members working in Bloch's agency.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/special_counsel;_ylt=AvlWWW_ZOSO3qC44jZJUdEkD5gcF

[msanthrope]

17. Holy Crap. Either this is a Mukasey cover-up or a strike-back

by employees who have been patient and waiting for 8 years.....


I wonder which FBI office/division authorized this...and if it's the federal grand jury coming out of D.C. then I have high hopes that we might just see some housecleaning worth watching.

Anybody know where Fitzgerald was today?

[maddezmom]

19. The Carpetbagger Report: must read for the twists and turns

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15449.html

[Joanne98]

38. That is a must read.. it sounds like they are all hunting each other..

[maddezmom]

40. looks like more names might be coming: A grand jury issued subpoenas for several OSC employees

A grand jury in Washington issued subpoenas for several OSC employees, including Bloch, according to NPR sources who spoke on condition their names not be used.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90231909

[Timefortruth]

20. I vote cover-up

but I'd love to be wrong, just once.

[maddezmom]

21. AFP: FBI agents raid office protecting whistleblowers: reports

FBI agents raid office protecting whistleblowers: reports 18 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (AFP) - FBI agents on Tuesday raided the Office of Special Counsel and closed down its e-mail system in what appears to be a probe into political misuse of the agency, the Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio reported.

According to the Journal, the agents seized computers and documents belonging to the head of the agency, Scott Bloch, and his staff.

The Journal, quoting unnamed employees, said the searches seemed to focus on alleged obstruction of justice by Bloch during the course of a 2006 inquiry.

The Office of Special Counsel, created after the Watergate political scandal of the 1970s, is an independent agency is charged with protecting federal employees, and looking into whether whistleblower complaints deserve investigations.

It also enforces a law forbidding government workers from engaging in partisan politics.

According to NPR, some 20 FBI agents arrived at the office and seized several computers. Soon afterwards the office's email system was shut down.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080506/pl_afp/usjusticefbicorruption_080506181710;_ylt=Ap3IdflZRH3slBN815nbZCOsOrgF

[KoKo]

22. From reading the TPM article...I can't decide if Bloch is the "good guy" or "bad guy," in this.

Big FBI raids like this would seem to be unusual. Did the Bushies instigate it or Congress?

It's all very confusing.

[suffragette]

26. Bloch is definitely a bad guy

He fits the pattern of the Bush administration appointing people in key positions to undermine those governmental entities. They did the same thing at the DOJ, especially in the civil rights division.

Bloch is in opposition to everything the OSC should be about.

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) was created to protect whistle-blower rights and investigate improper political activity by government employees.http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4797325&page=1

Bloch is all about denying rights to people, not enforcing them (See posts upthread on this)and he obstructed the investigation into Hatch Act violations.

Here's info from CREW about these areas:

http://citizensforethics.org/node/27786
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.

Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director, issued the following statement about Bloch and OSC today:

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.

There is plenty to investigate at the White House. We're very concerned that Scott Bloch and OSC won't do the job.


http://citizensforethics.org/node/30129

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.

[KoKo]

30. Thanks for the update from CREW... Josh's article was so cofusing

and the snips from other sources, also.

[suffragette]

34. I think they make it confusing on purpose

They obfuscate and obstruct at every turn.

The hard part is when they're installed in the offices which are supposed to provide oversight like this one, but are acting in exactly the opposite way - very 1984. It's layer upon layer of lies and misdirection. Who wouldn't have a problem sorting that out?
They've upended justice and replaced it with injustice.

At this stage, it becomes even more difficult since some of them may be turning on each other to save their own hides as best they can. It's possible that could be happening here between Bloch and DOJ. Or they could be collaborating to make the whole thing a mess and undermine the process and then point the finger at each other for doing so, laughing behind their hands at the citizens they've not served. In other words, they might just be stalling and playing out the clock.



edit to add: Just realized I could be confusing here myself. When I refer to "they" confusing on purpose, I don't mean TPM or Josh. I admire him greatly and think he's doing an admirable job trying to dig down and get to the truth. The "they" is the administration.

[Jackpine Radical]

43. I read him as a bad guy who is trying to deflect incoming shit

onto other parts of the Bush Administration. No matter what you may have heard about thieves, there is no honor among psychopathic fascists.

[chat_noir]

23. Justice Dept. accused of blocking Gonzales probe (by Bloch)

January 29, 2008

WASHINGTON -- 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.

Bloch's allegations show how the controversy, which mostly focused on the dismissals of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006, continues to boil inside government.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-probe29jan29,1,1914657.story

[maddezmom]

45. FBI agents had wide-ranging grand jury subpoenas, covering not just computers but investigative repo

FBI agents had wide-ranging grand jury subpoenas, covering not just computers but investigative reports and files from closed cases.

http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3515202

[Catherine Vincent]

25. Interesting.

The FBI is a higher power than USDOJ?

[maddezmom]

27. The investigation initially had been requested by the WH to look into allegations that Bloch

The investigation initially had been requested by the White House to look into allegations that Bloch had abused his authority, a spokesman at the special counsel's office said.

The investigation was later expanded to include the FBI and prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., the source said. Spokesmen for the FBI and the prosecutors declined to comment on the searches.

Bloch was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

James Mitchell, a spokesman for U.S. Office of Special Counsel, said about 20 FBI agents took part in the raid, searching Bloch's office and shutting down the main computer server.

"It's not clear to us what they are searching for," he said. "We are cooperating with law enforcement. We do not know what this is about. Meanwhile, we are continuing to perform the independent mission of this office," he added in an e-mail.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080506/pl_nm/usa_fbi_search_dc;_ylt=AhC7d1X4D_h9Yz4oLOuFMa8a.3QA

[babylonsister]

28. Also searching his home...

FBI Raids Home, Office of Special Counsel Chief

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/fbi_raids_home_office_of_offic.php

[maddezmom]

37. and an office in Dallas

according to NPR

[maddezmom]

39. from NPR: Other OSC employess have been issued subpoenas

FBI agents also searched Bloch's home and a Special Counsel field office in Dallas. A grand jury in Washington issued subpoenas for several OSC employees, including Bloch, according to NPR sources who spoke on condition their names not be used.

Those developments came about on a Tuesday morning that had seemed no different from any other weekday in the Washington headquarters of the Office of Special Counsel. But at 10 a.m., the OSC's national e-mail system went down, and the FBI arrived.

A half-dozen FBI agents swarmed into the OSC's Washington offices, grabbing documents and seizing computers. By 1 p.m., more than 20 agents had arrived in the agency's D.C. bureau.

One official close to the investigation said that today's action was "significant" and that other field offices would also be included in the investigation.

more:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90231909

[defendandprotect]

63. THAT seems to clear a little fog away . . .

It looks like BLOCK is another Bush appointee where the Fox guards the chicken coop ---
but with notable cases like the political "talks" and the AG case, I think he probably
had some limitations about how much he could pull to protect Bushco/Rove.

Meanwhile, the complaints of whistleblowers seem to make clear that he was doing his Bush-duty
along most of the way . . .

I think this is rough play by Bushco to protect Rove.

This is a lot of pushing around of Block --- where they have also investigated his household!

????

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

31. * l *

:hi:

:popcorn: :beer:

[pjt7]

32. How many good or honest

people make up our FBI? Are the good souls ruling that organization or what?

[garybeck]

35. Am I reading this right?

Bloch is SUPPOSED to be helping whistleblowers, but he really was impeding them... So the FBI raid appears to be an effort to call him out, and maybe show/prove that whistleblowers are not being protected as they should be?

Or.... is the raid more about some whistleblower information that the administration is worried about and they want to capture and destroy any evidence before it gets out, and it just happens to be in Bloch's office?


It appears, since Bloch himself is under investigation, the first interpretation is the case, but you never know with these guys, what's really going on

????????

[babylonsister]

42. I remember when he was assigned to oversee cases and what a

farce it was considering where his allegiances were. Maybe someone else had the same opinion. I hope they now have proof.

[garybeck]

47. but don't you think it's still possible

that they broke in to grab something so they could bury it? I don't know I guess I'm just so jaded now.

[valerief]

49. I don't think you're jaded at all. I don't think there are any good

guys left with any effective power.

[bobthedrummer]

44. Scott J. Bloch Source Watch profile

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Scott_J._Bloch

Related DU whistleblowers and BFEE retaliation threads-coming so soon after the "official suicide" of Debra Jeane Palfrey this really is no coincidence imho and life experiences.

"A DU collaborative investigation: Thelma Colbert, Shannon Ross and other deaths at DoJ" (I started this 5-8-2007)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x847120

"Medical Supply Chain Decries US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' Investigation of General Electric" (started 7-17-2007 by MSC2007)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2920691

K&R

[valerief]

50. So it's a turf war? Like when one Mafia family goes after another? nt

[bluesmail]

60. good analogy. good.

[lovuian]

55. I see this as a grab to obtain evidence that BlocK was blocking

and I guess the other question is did he destroy anything but then Rove and Gonzales also want to know what the whistleblowers got too
on them... It is going to be changing times in the federal government... this might be part of those rebellious times

I find it fascinating his name Bloch and it so looks like Block

[dogday]

56. Damn they will have access to all the whistleblowers and

what they are blowing the whistle on and this will discourage others from doing the right thing now... I can only hope come November we clean the fucking house, starting with the Justice Dept and The FBI

[defendandprotect]

64. Right . . . it's kinda like holding hearings about scandals in order to find out what

your opponents know and don't know so that you can more confidently carry on the cover-up!!!

[Hissyspit]

59. .

[dmr]

62. K&R

[defendandprotect]

65. Push ---

[Up2Late]

70. Follow up story from "All Things Considered" -- FBI Raids Office of Special Counsel

FBI Raids Office of Special Counsel

by Ari Shapiro

Listen Now <3 min 52 sec> add to playlist

All Things Considered, May 6, 2008 · FBI agents on Tuesday raid the Office of the Special Counsel, the agency that investigates whistle-blower and discrimination complaints by federal employees. The FBI is examining allegations of political misconduct by agency employees.

Audio at link: <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90231909>

You know the RW-controlled MSM is going to try to make this story go away, DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!:kick:

[liberalla]

74. This is an important story. We need to keep this active.

I'm sure Keith will cover it, and Rachel is good on this stuff too.

[liberal N proud]

75. The agency was misused for political purposes - Imagine that

Under the bu$h regime.

[pjt7]

76. I'm so glad that Obama is

going to be the nomineee & everyone can focus on the crimes of our current administration. These next 9 months should be filled with stories like this.

BTW I wonder if Sibel Edmonds has any insight into this story?

[goforit]

80. we,ve got their number. SSS of the Busssssssssssssssssssshhhhs

[bobthedrummer]

83. An anti-fascist kick

:patriot: