FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Jul 17, 6:00 PM EDT


Special counsel deputy quits over independence

By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer





WASHINGTON (AP) -- The second-in-command at the government's top whistle-blower office has quit in a dispute with his boss, whom he accused of putting "political agendas and personal vendettas" ahead of the agency's mission and independence.

James Byrne's resignation as deputy to U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch is effective Saturday. Bloch is under federal investigation, accused of destroying evidence potentially showing he retaliated against his own staff.

"Upon my departure, I am obligated to note that the mission, independence and very existence of the Office of Special Counsel are - and shall remain - at risk unless and until this agency is afforded a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed leader who is capable of putting OSC's mission and OSC's people ahead of political agendas and personal vendettas," Byrne, the deputy special counsel, wrote in a July 10 letter to Bloch that was obtained by The Associated Press.

"This agency, and the people whom we serve, deserve no less."

A spokesman for Bloch declined comment. Bloch is a Senate-confirmed presidential appointee.

The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers are not subjected to reprisals.

A group of current and former agency workers filed a complaint against Bloch in 2005, accusing him of retaliating with intimidation and involuntary transfers of those who opposed his policies. The employees also accused Bloch of refusing to protect federal workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Those charges are being investigated by the inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management.

FBI and White House Office of Personnel Management agents raided Bloch's office and home in May as part of a criminal investigation into whether he obstructed justice and, potentially, lied to Congress about hiring an outside tech company to scrub his government laptop computer.

Bloch has denied any wrongdoing, and told House investigators in March that the data wipe was done to protect government and personal information on the computer, not to destroy it.

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., has joined liberal-leaning watchdog groups in demanding that Bloch resign immediately.

Last year, Bloch recommended that then-GSA chief Lurita Doan be disciplined for engaging in illegal political activities and doling out no-bid awards. Doan abruptly resigned in April at the White House's behest.

Bloch currently is looking to see if it can discipline Justice Department officials who improperly - and potentially illegally - rejected top law students for jobs because their were Democrats or liberal. An internal Justice Department investigation last month concluded that politics and ideology disqualified a significant number of newly graduated lawyers and summer interns seeking coveted Justice jobs in 2006.
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END OF AP RELEASE