Resounding Support for Whistleblowers on Display at Capitol Hill Event

Washington, D.C. August 2, 2018. Whistleblowers, the often-reprimanded public servants who uncover wrongdoing, were honored on Monday at the annual celebration of National Whistleblower Day. Government officials, whistleblower advocates, whistleblowers and their supporters gathered to commemorate the 240th anniversary of the nation’s first whistleblower law, which was passed on July 30th, 1778. The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) hosted a luncheon in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill to commemorate the anniversary of the law’s passage.

Whistleblowers and agency leaders took turns speaking to the crowd of over 200 attendees about their stories and their dedication to fighting corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse in the government and private sectors. Over 60 of the attendees were whistleblowers, and each received individual recognition when FBI Whistleblower and Master of Ceremonies Jane Turner asked them to stand to be recognized. Each was met with a strong round of applause.

Michael D. Kohn, President of the National Whistleblower Center and Partner at the whistleblower law firm Kohn Kohn & Colapinto (KKC), introduced Linda Tripp. This was Tripp’s first public appearance since 2000. “Her story is timely and important, and it is time that the larger whistleblower community has an opportunity to hear from her,” Kohn said.

Tripp has kept herself out of the public spotlight since being villainized for exposing the President for lying under oath and sexual misconduct. On Monday, she made a rare appearance, speaking to the public for the first time in nearly two decades.

“I know what it’s like to be in the crosshairs of the most powerful person in the world, to be attacked viciously not because I said something that was not true, but because I said something people did not want to hear, about a popular president,” Tripp told the audience.

“A whistleblower armed with the truth wields enormous pressure on wrongdoings and folks who believe that they have a way to do whatever it is they want to do,” Tripp said. “But it all comes at an enormous price for the whistleblower.” Tripp later said that despite the hardships she and her family endured, her only regret was not speaking up sooner.

Long time whistleblower advocate, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) was the keynote speaker. He addressed the importance of whistleblowers in uncovering wrongdoing in the government. “The False Claims Act is the most effective tool we have to fight government fraud,” he said during his opening remarks. “The truth is that whistleblowers are so ostracized and reviled that they suffer retaliation for speaking out.”

Grassley also discussed his ambition to get the President to honor whistleblowers with a Rose Garden ceremony. “I’ve been asking every president since Ronald Reagan to hold a (ceremony) to honor these brave men and women. Not a single one of them has taken me up on it.”

Other speakers included:

• Inspector General of the Department of Justice Michael Horowitz who expressed his appreciation for whistleblowers stating, “want to see justice done, who want to see government work the right way, you want to see the government work effectively, you don’t want to see people stealing, lying, and cheating their way with the taxpayers’ money.”

• Dan Meyer, the former Whistleblowing & Transparency Director for the Defense Department Inspector General’s Office, who was recently removed for blowing the whistle reminded the audience that “It’s required to blow the whistle as a federal employee. It’s not optional, it’s not discretionary, its mandatory.”

• Dr. Aaron Westrick, former research director of Second Chance Body Armor, who blew the whistle on defective bulletproof vests that could have cost hundreds of lives with continued use.

• Tristan Leavitt, Principal Deputy Special Counsel, U.S. Office of Special Counsel, who said “Whistleblowers are the most patriotic people I know. So, all of you that have helped ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected, who have helped to shine a light on fraud and abuse in the federal government, who have helped to draw attention to imminent threats to public health, to all of you I say thank you.”

This year, National Whistleblower Day included a special focus on using whistleblowing laws for wildlife extinction crises. NWC Co-Chair Dr. Gina Green, Daniel Ashe, the former Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Beth Allgood, U.S. County Director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Representative Madeleine Bordallo, (D-Guam), via video message, spoke about how whistleblowing can be used in combatting wildlife trafficking internationally and how implementing whistleblower incentive legislation could be an effective tool in ending the extinction crisis.

If you missed this year’s celebration, a video of the event is available at https://www.whistleblowers.org/take-action/national-whistleblower-day