Federal workers are reportedly celebrating the forced resignation of U.S. Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch.
That probably says it all, given that it was Bloch’s job to protect them from discrimination and whistleblower retaliation by their bosses.
The beleaguered Bloch, whose office had been raided by the FBI last May as part of an ongoing investigation into charges of obstruction of justice, had submitted a letter of resignation effective Jan. 5. But his tenure ended abruptly yesterday after a meeting with White House officials.
He was subsequently barred from entry to his office by the United States Federal Protective Service, which is responsible for security at federal facilities, according to the Washington Post.
The FBI was probing whether Bloch had hired an outside company to “scrub” computer files to prevent an inquiry into whether he had violated the Hatch Act by mixing politics with his job, which is to shield whistleblowers.
That was only the latest criticism of the former law professor and attorney from Lawrence, KS, who had previously worked at the Justice Department’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
One of his first major actions after taking the special counsel’s job in 2004 included choosing a deputy who had publicly taken a position against the “homosexual agenda,” according to Mother Jones. In February 2004, Bloch ordered all mention of sexual orientation workplace nondiscrimination be removed from office’s website and printed materials. He stated his office lacked the authority to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. After complaints from Congress, the Bush Administration released a statement in April 2004, saying homosexual employees were still protected.
The following year, Bloch was accused of politically-motivated dismissals in his office and of improperly dismissing hundreds of whistleblower cases that had been pending when he took over. He insisted he was simply trying to reduce the office’s perennial backlog.
Debra S. Katz, an attorney representing OSC employees who had bitterly criticized Bloch’s leadership, told the Post she was pleased that “the Bush administration has finally acted to remove this rogue presidential appointee.”
Bloch is the grandson of renowned abstract expressionist Albert Bloch.
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