Drake and Radack at the 2011 Ridenhour Prizes.Majority Report: Thomas Drake & Jesselyn Radack, Whistleblowing in America
Summary: Yesterday, NSA whistleblower/GAP client Thomas Drake and GAP National Security & Human Rights Director Jesselyn Radack were on the Majority Report to talk about their experiences blowing the whistle, as well as the unprecedented attack on intelligence whistleblowers by the Obama administration.
Drake was also mentioned in a piece by The Economist discussing the hypocrisy of the administration’s declarations of commitment to transparency while its actions show the opposite.
Democracy Now!: Senate Advances Expanded, “Orwellian” Gov’t Surveillance with FISA Amendments, CISPA
Summary: NSA whistleblower and GAP client Bill Binney appeared on Democracy Now! yesterday to talk about the recent expanded surveillance powers granted to the NSA by the Senate.
China Daily: Whistleblower Reveals Milk Makers' Misdeeds
Summary: Known as China's "No. 1 whistleblower" in the country's dairy industry, Wang Dingmian continues to expose public health concerns despite pressure to keep quiet, including threats to ruin his reputation. His most recent disclosure was that several cow breeders in southern China were illegally adding chlorine dioxide to milk to extend its shelf life.
Politico: Whistleblowers Wanted for Mortgage Fraud
Summary: Obama’s task force set up to investigate mortgage fraud is seeking industry whistleblowers, offering protections and financial incentives for those who come forward.
Los Angeles Times: Employee Behind Lavish Las Vegas Conference Out at GSA
Summary: The General Services Administration (GSA) manager who was responsible for most of the recent excessive spending scandal around a Las Vegas conference is no longer employed by the agency. The scandal was brought forward, in part, by an agency whistleblower.
GAP President Louis Clark and Legal Director Tom Devine recently published an op-ed calling for passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, particularly in light of the GSA scandal.
LA Observed: Meanwhile, Lawsuit over Red Line Subway Rolls into 16th Year
Summary: A whistleblower lawsuit accusing a Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority contractor of overbilling the state is entering its 16th year. Allegedly, the contractor defrauded taxpayers out of nearly $100 million. It is one of the longest litigations in the history of the state false claims statute.
Daily Telegraph (UK): Welfare to Work ‘Fraud Scandal’ – IDS Is Asleep at the Wheel, Labour Claim
Summary: Whistleblowers are stepping forward to expose the “systemic” fraud at A4e, a "welfare to work" program in the UK. They submitted evidence to a Parliament committee earlier this week, which is now considering whether to make it public.
Related Article: Daily Mail (UK)
Hannah Johnson is Communications Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
