May, 20 2009, 03:09pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Lindsey M. Williams (202) 342-1903
Stephen M. Kohn (202) 342-6980
Michael D. Kohn
Greenhouse Suffers Retaliation After Testifying to Congress
WASHINGTON
The
National Whistleblowers Center today disclosed a new campaign of
censorship and retaliation by the Army Corps of Engineers directed
against whistleblower Bunnatine (Bunny) H. Greenhouse.
Within
hours of testifying in Congress, Ms. Greenhouse received an email from
the Army Corps Chief of Staff demanding pre-clearance of any testimony
Greenhouse may wish to present to Congress. Ironically, Greenhouse's
testimony was presented before the House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform about legislation aimed at protecting whistleblowers
from just this kind of action.
The National Whistleblowers Center issued a formal protest to the White House which disclosed facts about the
retaliation against Greenhouse including:
- Congress invited Greenhouse to speak in her personal capacity as
the senior official in the Army Corps of Engineers to blow the whistle
on corrupt Iraq War contracting practices; - On May 14th Greenhouse testified about the lack of protections for
government whistleblowers and need for enhanced whistleblower
protection if the Congress wants the truth about government contract
abuse to be exposed; - Within four hours of completing her testimony, Greenhouse received an email from the Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Staff;
- The Chief of Staff required Ms. Greenhouse to submit her testimony
in written form and to obtain prior approval and clearance from her
chain of command and the Office of Management and Budget; - Greenhouse testified without such clearances, appearing in her personal capacity on unpaid leave.
"Requiring whistleblowers to have their Congressional
testimony pre-approved by the very managers about whom they are blowing
the whistle is blatant censorship; it is the epitome of abuse of
authority; the directive is a blatant violation of the First
Amendment.," said Michael D. Kohn, President of the National
Whistleblowers Center and attorney for Ms. Greenhouse.
A copy of the email should be obtained directly from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Letter from Bunnatine Greenhouse to the American People - May 19, 2009
Letter to President Obama - May 18, 2009
Since 1988, the NWC and attorneys associated with it have supported whistleblowers in the courts and before Congress and achieved victories for environmental protection, government contract fraud, nuclear safety and government and corporate accountability.
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