Whistleblower News From The Inside -- January 4, 2017
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
Trump to Tap Wall Street Lawyer, Jay Clayton, to Head SEC – “As chair of the SEC, which polices Wall Street and the financial markets, Clayton would play a key role in Trump’s efforts to usher in a period of deregulation, including undoing parts of 2010’s financial reform legislation, known as the Dodd-Frank Act.” Washington Post
House Republicans Drop Bid to Gut Ethics Board – After fierce criticism from Democrats and President-elect Trump, House Republicans scrapped their bid to curtail the authority of the Office of Congressional Ethics. PBS
DOE Issues New Whistleblower Protection Rule for Nuclear Facility Employees – Under the new rule, the Department of Energy can assess civil penalties against government contractors that retaliate against whistleblowers. Department of Energy
The Government Accountability Office Has Launched an Investigation into the Integrity of the Pentagon’s Whistleblower Program – Since October, the GAO has been quietly investigating the extent to which Department of Defense whistleblower policies “meet executive branch policies and goals,” reassure employees of their rights to raise concerns “without fear of reprisal,” and require officials to report to Congress. The Intercept
Senator Claire McCaskill Goes to Bat for Tougher Whistleblower Protections – Senator McCaskill, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has asked federal agencies to provide information on senior managers who may have retaliated against whistleblowing employees. Although the Office of Special Counsel is tasked with protecting such employees from reprisal, the evidence indicates that retaliation persists. New York Times
CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad to Step Down after Inauguration – Massad, the second individual appointed by President Obama to lead the CFTC, helped implement Dodd-Frank, which greatly expanded the agency’s regulatory authority. The Hill