Winehole23
06-20-2009, 12:48 AM
Testimony of Danielle Brian, Executive Director
Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
before the
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
on
“S. 372: The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009" (http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/testimony/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20090611.html)
Working as a CIA counter-proliferation intelligence officer in the 1980s, Richard Barlow learned that top U.S. officials were allowing Pakistan to manufacture and possess nuclear weapons, and that the A.Q. Khan nuclear network was violating U.S. laws. He also discovered that top officials were hiding these activities from Congress. After engineering the arrests of Khan’s nuclear agents operating in the U.S., Mr. Barlow left to work for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Top officials at the DoD continued to lie about Pakistan’s nuclear program. Mr. Barlow objected and suggested to his supervisors that Congress should be made aware of the situation. Because Barlow merely suggested that Congress should know the truth, Mr. Barlow was fired. In 1998, following seven years of congressionally directed investigations by three IGs and the GAO, a virtually unanimous bipartisan majority in Congress and the President of the United States concluded that Mr. Barlow deserved to be compensated with relief. However, a bill to pay him minimal damages was blocked in the federal claims court where the executive branch invoked the President’s State Secrets Privilege.[27 (http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/testimony/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20090611.html#27)]
Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
before the
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
on
“S. 372: The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009" (http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/testimony/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20090611.html)
Working as a CIA counter-proliferation intelligence officer in the 1980s, Richard Barlow learned that top U.S. officials were allowing Pakistan to manufacture and possess nuclear weapons, and that the A.Q. Khan nuclear network was violating U.S. laws. He also discovered that top officials were hiding these activities from Congress. After engineering the arrests of Khan’s nuclear agents operating in the U.S., Mr. Barlow left to work for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Top officials at the DoD continued to lie about Pakistan’s nuclear program. Mr. Barlow objected and suggested to his supervisors that Congress should be made aware of the situation. Because Barlow merely suggested that Congress should know the truth, Mr. Barlow was fired. In 1998, following seven years of congressionally directed investigations by three IGs and the GAO, a virtually unanimous bipartisan majority in Congress and the President of the United States concluded that Mr. Barlow deserved to be compensated with relief. However, a bill to pay him minimal damages was blocked in the federal claims court where the executive branch invoked the President’s State Secrets Privilege.[27 (http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/testimony/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20090611.html#27)]