BUSH GUTS WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS IN NEW CORPORATE CRIME BILL
Absolutely no shame-- within hours of signing the damn bill and trumpeting his tough new attitude on corporate crime, Bush announced he would narrow enforcement of the whistleblower protections for corporate employees who tip off Congressional investigators of abuses. See http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=businessnews&StoryID=1272071
Bush released a statement (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020730-10.html) that said that whistleblowers giving Congress information on corporate abuses before an official investigation has been authorized by Congress would have no protection against retaliation under the new law. Since such whistleblowing is exactly what often helps launch Congressional investigations, Bush is trying to rip the heart out of the whistleblower protections.
"If that is how the administration intends to enforce the new whistle-blower law, that would be a roll back of what Congress intended. The language is clear and the language is plain, that Congress intends full protection of whistle-blowers whether or not an active investigation is underway at the time," said David Carle, aide to Senator Leahy who drafted the language involved.
Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org http://www.nathannewman.org http://www.nathannewman.org/log/ (News & Views WebLog)