Special Counsel's Office Raided By FBIWASHINGTON, May 6, 2008
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(AP) Federal agents raided the office and home of U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch on Tuesday while investigating whether the nation's top protector of whistle-blowers destroyed evidence potentially showing he retaliated against his own staff.
Computers and documents were seized during the raid on the special counsel's office in downtown Washington, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing inquiry. At least 20 agents were still on the scene as of mid-afternoon Tuesday.
Bloch's home, in suburban Virginia, also was raided, the officials said.
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko confirmed that agents with the FBI and U.S. Office of Personnel Management executed "a number of court authorized federal search warrants today" but declined further comment.
Jim Mitchell, communications director with the Office of the Special Counsel, confirmed the search of Bloch's work area and computers. He did not immediately return calls and an e-mail message seeking additional comment.
The raids mark the latest twist in what critics describe as Bloch's bizarre tenure at the head of the federal agency responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers are not subjected to reprisals.
He has been on the hot seat since he took office in 2004, in part for closing hundreds of whistle-blower cases allegedly without investigating them.
"It's like finding out that your town fire chief is an arsonist," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Protection, a whistle-blower group. "It's just sort of jaw-dropping how bizarre this entire episode has been." more here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/06/national/main4076240.shtml
