Office of Special Counsel #2 Quits, Citing Differences with Scott Bloch

[WSJ_law_blog]

James Byrne — a man about whom precious little seems to be known prior to his becoming the second-in-command at the Office of Special Counsel — has quit amid a spat with his boss, Scott Bloch (pictured), whom he accused of putting “political agendas and personal vendettas” ahead of the agency’s mission and independence. As we noted in May, Bloch is under federal investigation, accused of destroying evidence potentially showing he retaliated against his own staff. Here’s the AP report on Byrne’s departure.

“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 wrote in a July 10 letter to Bloch. “This agency, and the people whom we serve, deserve no less.”
A spokesman for Bloch declined comment to the AP. Bloch is a Senate-confirmed presidential appointee.

Agents from the FBI and the Office of Personnel Management 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.

Current and former employees of the OSC, which is responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers aren’t subjected to reprisals, filed a complaint against Bloch back 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.

If the allegations are true, this time period will wind up being a rather forgettable moment in the OSC’s history. After all, one would think that now is the Office’s time to shine: Last month, a report from the inspector general — the result of an investigation into DOJ hiring practices over the last six years — alleged that a perceived liberal bias disqualified a significant number of newly graduated lawyers and summer interns seeking Justice jobs in 2006.