That Whistle's Been Blowing for Two Years« Thread Started on Oct 12, 2007, 11:13am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------That Whistle's Been Blowing for Two YearsBy Stephen BarrFriday, October 12, 2007; Page D04 read at source> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con....src=newsle tterThe investigation has run for two years, and it's possible the Bush administration will have left office before the charges and countercharges are resolved. The saga involves Scott J. Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel, the small agency that handles federal employee whistle-blower cases and investigates improper political activities on government property. Bloch, a Bush appointee, has been accused of retaliating against employees who disputed his policies, unnecessarily reorganizing his office to try to run off critics, and arbitrarily dismissing complaints submitted by federal workers to reduce a backlog of claims. In 2005, a group of anonymous employees, joined by public-interest organizations, filed a complaint against Bloch, which the White House referred to the inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management for investigation. Bloch has denied the allegations. This week, a lawyer representing the employees wrote to White House counsel Fred Fielding urging him to request an interim report from OPM "regarding what its investigation has uncovered to date, and to explain the reasons for its long delay in concluding this investigation."