Gotta love those Friday news dumps. Lurita Doan managed to be found in violation of the Hatch Act and still manage to hold onto her job for 11 months. Then suddenly late last week, she tendered her resignation as head of the General Services Administration effective virtually immediately. Don't they usually come out with a statement saying that they will leave their jobs in a couple of weeks to spend more time with their families defense attorneys? It begged the question, "when will the other shoe drop?" Correct me if I'm wrong bet it seems the shoe dropped today.
So today we get this from the WSJ today
WASHINGTON -- Federal agents raided the Office of Special Counsel, a government agency involved in several high-profile and politically sensitive investigations. The agents seized computer files and documents from its chief, Scott Bloch, and his staff.
Mr. Bloch, who was appointed by President Bush, has been under investigation since 2005 by the Office of Personnel Management for employee claims that he abused his agency's authority, retaliated against its staff and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination. Mr. Bloch couldn't be reached to comment.
The Justice Department joined the case as the inquiry was widened last year to include possible obstruction of justice, which is a criminal offense. The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 28 that in the midst of the inquiry Mr. Bloch used an agency credit card to hire a commercial firm, Geeks on Call, to erase data from his computer and those of former staff.
[I just had to emphasize "Geeks on Call"]
I should have emphasized the Office of Special Counsel. Office of Special Counsel? Where have I seen that before?
From the NYT 5/29/2007
Last January, Ms. Doan summoned her assistants to a campaign strategy session run by Karl Rove’s White House political operation. Tax-paid employees were treated to a PowerPoint briefing and slide show identifying Democrats marked as “2008 House Targets: Top 20.” Witnesses recalled Ms. Doan asking the gathering how they could “help our candidates” with G.S.A. favors.
Like so many Bush appointees lately summoned to account by Congress, Ms. Doan repeatedly said she could not recall details of the meeting. In a bit of novelty, she claimed to be engrossed in reading her BlackBerry e-mail messages. Investigators of the United States Office of Special Counsel found no forensic evidence that she was using electronic devices during the meeting. Her other defense — that her accusers were poor-performing malcontents — was also found untrue, with several holding merit citations.
Ms. Doan promises to document errors in the scathing report, which was obtained by The Washington Post. But her credibility now stands as tattered as her memory. Her fate will be in President Bush’s hands, who supposedly knows a slam dunk when he sees one. Ms. Doan should be dismissed for violating one of the most hallowed laws of fairness in government service. As for Mr. Rove, who has run this partisan traveling show through other federal agencies, this is only the latest abuse for which he needs to be brought fully and finally to account.
So the Cliffs Notes version goes like this: Office of Special Counsel raids the office of the head of the General Services Administration. She gets found in violation of the Hatch Act but because the New York Times and virtually all other traditional media fail to write a story about it, she gets to soak up 11 months of fat government salary. Since the White House doesn't want Lurita Doan and Scott Bloch to occupy the same news cycle, they force Doan out a week before the FBI raids Bloch's office.
This begs another question: When is Congress going to raid the offices of the Justice Department?