Project on Govrnment Oversight - The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is responsible for receiving tips from whistleblowers and making sure truth-tellers aren’t punished for coming forward. You know that whistleblowers are key to efforts to root out corruption and abuse of power, so it’s crucial the courts protect the independence of this office.
President Donald Trump attempted to fire Hampton Dellinger as head of OSC in early February. Dellinger challenged his removal, pointing to a law that protects the OSC head from termination without proper cause — a crucial safeguard for the office’s independence.
As our recent investigation shows, the current Veterans Affairs (VA) secretary could, depending on the results of the legal battle, also serve as the acting head of OSC. This would create a huge conflict of interest: As the acting head of OSC, the VA secretary would be overseeing current and future whistleblower claims from his own department. More than 25% of OSC cases come from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
An order temporarily barring President Trump from firing Dellinger was extended on Wednesday. That temporary restraining order is set to expire today, and a ruling from the federal judge is expected before the end of the day.
It is crucial that OSC can continue to operate with independence in order to protect federal workers and handle claims of whistleblower retaliation without political interference. MORE
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