Firing of Special Counsel “Dangerous” According to Leading Whistleblower Attorney
According to Stephen M. Kohn, founding partner of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto (KKC) and Chairman of the Board of National Whistleblower Center (NWC), the decision to fire Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger “is irresponsible and dangerous.”
On February 10, Dellinger sued President Donald Trump over his termination, which he was informed of late on February 7. Under the law, the Special Counsel may only be removed for allegations of “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” The White House did not point to any of these issues in its notice to Dellinger.
“The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is charged with investigating allegations of corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse from federal employees. An attack on this office is an unjustifiable attack on federal employee whistleblowers and the ability of employees to report waste, fraud, and abuse,” Kohn stated.
“The decision to terminate the Special Counsel is irresponsible and dangerous,” Kohn continued. “This action undermines a critical government program that has saved taxpayers billions of dollars and is designed to encourage reporting of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. The Office of Special Counsel also maintains confidential lists of hundreds or thousands of federal employees who have blown the whistle on serious fraud, waste, and abuse. All of whom are now in immediate danger of being exposed.”
The National Whistleblower Center issued an alert urging all Americans to contact their representatives and express concern over this action.
