What happens when the top officials responsible for exposing wrongdoing within the federal government are the very ones involved in it? That’s what lawmakers are trying to sort out right now.
The Commerce Department’s Inspector General Todd Zinser is at the center of a congressional investigation for allegedly protecting his top deputies who intimidated whistleblowers and hired employees based on personal and romantic relationships.
Lawmakers began zeroing in on Zinser after an initial probe by the Office of Special Counsel–the agency charged with reviewing whistleblower complaints–concluded that Zinser’s top deputies, his counsel Wade Green and Rick Beitel, the principal assistant inspector general for whistleblower protection, attempted to gag two whistleblowers who had complained about Zinser’s office behavior.
via Why This Government Watchdog Needs Watching | The Fiscal Times.
