Friday, March 18, 2011

Issa: Obama Punishes a Whistleblower

March 17th, 2011 Ben Johnson, FloydReports.com

Congressman Darrell Issa has written a scathing five-page letter to the Department of Homeland Security stating it demoted an employee who blew the whistle on the department’s illegal stonewalling of Obama’s political foes. Issa, who is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote to Janet Napolitano that the action had the appearance of “retaliation” and that “Obstructing a congressional investigation is a crime.”
Issa states that Catherine Papoi, who was DHS deputy unit chief in charge of the Freedom of Information Act, was passed over for a promotion and forced to vacate her office the day after she met with investigators.
Ironically, the Associated Press reported the story the same day Barack Obama was set to receive an award for government transparency to kick off “Sunshine Week.” Obama canceled the event.
Last March, Papoi went to the DHS Inspector General to complain of “hundreds” of cases of illegal stonewalling. The IG report has yet to be released a year later. She then turned to Issa.
Papoi said officials are “breaking the law by knowingly and intentionally delaying and obstructing the release of agency records.”
Read more.

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