Intelligence Community's Top Whistleblower Protector In Need Of Some Whistleblower Protection
from the whistleblowers-have-a-man-on-the-inside dept
Daniel Meyer is the Executive Director of Intelligence Community’s Whistleblowing and Source Protection. He’s in the best position to fight for the protection of intelligence whistleblowers against retaliation for taking their complaints through the proper channels. Let’s hope it works out better for those under him than it has for Meyer himself.
The Obama administration’s top official overseeing how intelligence agencies handle whistleblower retaliation claims has lodged his own complaint, alleging he was punished for disclosing “public corruption.”
Daniel Meyer, who previously oversaw the Defense Department’s decisions on whistleblowing cases, also says he was targeted for being gay, according to records obtained by McClatchy.
Meyer has multiple beefs with multiple powerful people, all lodged through the proper channels — which has apparently done very little to protect him from retaliation. Meyer has accused top Pentagon officials of altering a report that originally found Leon Panetta had engaged in wrongdoing when he leaked classified information to the producers of “Zero Dark Thirty.” This conclusion was nowhere to be found when the report was officially released.
That claim put him in the same boat as an assistant Inspector General, who also noted some impropriety surrounding the CIA’s close relationship with the “Zero Dark Thirty” team.
In support of his retaliation claims, Meyer filed a sworn affidavit by his former boss, John Crane, a onetime assistant Defense Department inspector general. Crane was fired in 2013 and now alleges he, too, was retaliated against because of his involvement in the “Zero Dark Thirty” case and other controversial whistleblower claims, including one filed by former high-ranking National Security Agency official Thomas Drake.
Proper channels don’t seem to be doing much for Meyer, but he still advocates for them. It’s somewhat surprising this administration has placed him in the whistleblower protection position for the intelligence community. Because Meyer is good at what he does.
While at the Pentagon, Meyer was known for aggressively investigating whistleblowers’ allegations of retaliation. His current office reviews and investigates not only whistleblower retaliation claims but also high-profile security matters within the intelligence community. His office, for instance, notified the FBI that classified emails had been found on Hillary Clinton’s private email server. The referral led to an FBI investigation.
On top of that, he apparently pushed for better whistleblower protections in the wake of the Snowden leaks, unlike much of the rest of the intelligence community, which abruptly redoubled efforts to weed out “insider threats.”
At the very least, Meyer has had personal experience with the official processes and knows the limits of the protections afforded to whistleblowers. This should, hopefully, encourage more intelligence whistleblowers to take advantage of these procedures. At least they’ll have someone on their side — someone who knows how vindictive officials can be when their actions are questioned. That’s certainly more than can be said for dozens of other government agencies, who still treat those who question officials and/or programs as enemies of the state.
Filed Under: daniel meyer, defense department, intelligence community, leon panetta, odni, source protection, whistleblowers
Comments on “Intelligence Community's Top Whistleblower Protector In Need Of Some Whistleblower Protection”
He sounds like a semi-professional victim.
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Well, when the government makes so many victims, it makes for some of them to get paid for it.
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This is a toxic accusation, mostly used to discredit people where no other tactic is likely to work.
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Comment held for 24 to 72 hours, my ass.
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Considering how often you complain how none of your comments make it into “Funniest/Most Insightful” I was hoping to see something that merited such a demand.
And as it turns out all you can produce is this miserable dreck.
You cannot server two Masters!
Not possible, can’t do it!
Watch out where you peddle your own soul!
There will always be another way!
Re: You cannot server two Masters!
He doesn’t serve two masters. He serves just one — The United States.
The problem is that the United States is run by people who have forgotten they represent the United States, rather than being the United States.
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The mere existence of the position is a clear indication that the agency is corrupt and this is just intended as nothing more than window dressing for public onlookers to view “The Emperors New Clothes”.
But if he is in trouble, this means he did have some intention of serving the public at some point which makes it clear he serves two masters. The problem is that his master Inside the department still gets to trump the master outside the department making the whole fucking position a farce!
If I could choose what my tax dollars paid for, this would be one of them.
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It’s pointless, just like self over-sight, guess what… I just decided its okay for me to rape, pillage, murder, and steal… but only just a little… ya know to make it fair! That is what self over sight gets us, and this position is just that!
I would rather create a 4th branch of government that has only one power. Removing elected members of government or its workers. No criminal prosecution, just removal from office on a 3/4 vote to do so.
Entirely staffed by only by people that have served time in prison. You might be surprised just how fair the correctly and wrongly accused can be in these matters! Cause many have experienced what being wrongly accused can do to people!
Kinda missing the point
At the very least, Meyer has had personal experience with the official processes and knows the limits of the protections afforded to whistleblowers. This should, hopefully, encourage more intelligence whistleblowers to take advantage of these procedures. At least they’ll have someone on their side — someone who knows how vindictive officials can be when their actions are questioned.
If the person in charge of investigating retaliations against whistleblowers is himself being retaliated against for his efforts that just shows that there are no protections.
If government agents/agencies feel safe going after someone like him then it’s clear someone without his ‘protections’ wouldn’t stand a chance, demonstrating yet again that the ‘official’ channels are nothing but a giant trap, and to be avoided at all costs.
If someone runs across wrongdoing and has the guts to be willing to expose it great, but going through the ‘official channels’ to do so just paints a giant target on them, and ensures that the only ‘problem’ that will be solved is their naivety and trust in the system.
Re: Kinda missing the point
The purpose of official channels is to have “problem-makers” self-identify so they can be more easily silenced and excluded/punished. The system is working as intended if even the head of whistleblower protection isn’t safe from retaliation.
…because we all know how hostile the Obama administration is towards that particular demographic!
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Being a protected minority means you go to card to play when you need it.
The race card, gay card, misogyny card… all are over played to the point where they no longer even matter! The abused have watered their own positions down the point where these accusations are now a matter of wrote procedure.
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Thanks for the binding declaration. We can just ignore all future such complaints and pretend we’ve achieved equality because you’re tired of hearing of such accusations!
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That is pretty much what it boils down to yes.
Do you not understand how the human mind works? If you your room smells a certain way, you brain eventually decides that it is not inconsequential and you soon no longer smell it any more. Same goes for any and all other forms of feed back that the brain constantly has to deal with. If it remains constant, then the mind brushes it aside as non-important.
It’s why cultures have culture!
In some cultures marriage at 13 is not big deal, they are used to it!
In some cultures marriage is still arranged!
In some cultures, it’s okay to murder your family in an honor killing and its no big deal.
In some cultures, it’s okay to molest kids because… welp the cardinal down the hall did it, why can’t someone else?
So yes, the constant screeching and screaming about something tends to do them no favors. If you have a card to play, save it for when it is most effective, and hope that others have not played your suite out to the point where playing your own looks like a tire old hand!
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This is completely impractical advise for members of a large population. You can’t control others. You can’t efficiently collaborate with everyone else within the same group. There’s no “save it for when it is most effective” because you’re blaming an entire group for the actions of individuals. How does one member go back in time to tell another member in a different state not to claim racial bias because it will affect their ability to use the same claim later?
Maybe there are so many claims because there are so many instances of injustice and inequality. Maybe if you put effort into fixing those problems, you’ll have fewer claims and it will be easier to sort them out.
The remedy is not putting your fingers in your ears and abdicating any responsibility to make sure things are equitable. Giving up is the same as actively discriminating and victimizing people simply because you’re too lazy to put effort into distinguishing the real claims from the false ones.
the right kind of whistleblowers
I have a feeling that the “whistleblower protection” laws work great for the kind of whistleblowers the powers that be want. You’re supposed to tattle on insider threats and co-workers stealing paperclips. You’re not supposed to report shady “business as usual” practices that may be embarrassing.
“In Soviet America….”
Well, if my info is right, Chelsea Manning tried to commit suicide due to the inhumane treatment she is receiving. The Govt reaction? Add more charges against her… Because she tried to commit suicide.
So, yeah. Human Rights for me but not for thee.
Well, there’s your answer as to why he’s in hot water…