Senator Grassley - Whistleblowers strongest ally speaks out against retaliation
Senator Chuck Grassley is by far one of the strongest allies in Washington for Whistleblowers. His recent press release and letter to the FBI Director, Robert Mueller regarding alleged retaliation against FBI Agent Bassem Youssef, chief of the Communications Analysis Unit, the highest ranking Arab-American in the FBI. According to Senator Grassley's letter to FBI Director Mueller, Agent Youssef is a material witness in the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) continuing inquiry into issues relating to National Security Letters and so-called “exigent letters.”
It is refreshing to see a Senator take on the establishment and be the voice for the taxpayers and whistleblowers, even those blowing the whistle against the government. Earlier this year, we celebrated Whistleblower Week, May 14 - May 18, 2007. At the beginning of the week, Senator Grassley, gave a moving speech to the Senate regarding the importance of Whistleblowers to our country. This means a lot coming from the man that has been involved with getting critical legislation such as the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the False Claims Act passed. Also, it is important to note that he is the co-sponsor of the original S.274, the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act, which provides updates to federal whistleblower protections. As a result of key legislation such as the False Claims Act, the federal government has recovered nearly $20 billion since 1986. This is not a paltry sum of money to ignore. It goes to show you that whistleblowers make a difference, not only on a moral level but also on the bottom line.
Senator Grassley is quoted as saying "I would like to see the President of the United States have a Rose Garden ceremony honoring whistleblowers. This would send a message from the very top of the bureaucracy about the importance and value of whistleblowers. They deserve it, and we all ought to be grateful for what they do and appreciate the very difficult circumstances they often have to endure to do so, sacrificing their family's finances, their employability, and the attempts by powerful interests to smear their good names and intentions." Can you imagine the President of the United States honoring these brave men and women each year? What a message it would send to corporate America and the branches of government.
The Senator is correct in his assessment that whistleblowers bear a heavy burden, when they stand up for what is right. Hopefully, he will find supporters in the Senate that will stand with him in passing additional key legislation that will do more to protect Whistleblowers at large around the country. We can only hope for the best and do everything in our power to ensure that Senator Grassley has all the support that he needs in this fight for Whistleblower rights. We can start by contacting our local legislators and encouraging them to support Senator Grassley in his efforts to pass critical Whistleblower legislation. To find your local Senator go to www.senate.gov and type in your state. You can call, write or send an email to express your views on whistleblower legislation. Remember this is a bi-partisan issue and that whistleblower rights affect everyone.
