Administration Oversight Committee Announces Hearing with GSA Administrator Doan

[L. Coyote]

Chairman Waxman Announces Hearing with GSA Administrator Doan
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Administration Oversight
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1337

The Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on June 7, 2007, to examine statements made by GSA Administrator Lurita Doan that impugn the reputation of federal officials who cooperated with a Committee investigation into Ms. Doan's conduct at the General Services Administration.
Documents and Links

* Invitation Letter to GSA Administrator Lurita Doan - http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070524171723.pdf

[Me.]

1. Do You Know What She Said?

Are they talking about her hearing or was it subsequent?

[L. Coyote]

2. OSC rejects claim it leaked copies of Hatch Act report

OSC rejects claim it leaked copies of Hatch Act report
By Daniel Pulliam May 30, 2007
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37050&dcn=todaysnews


The head of the Office of Special Counsel rejected a request by attorneys for General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan to shut down an inquiry into allegations that she violated the law limiting political activity in the government.

In a one-page letter Friday, Special Counsel Scott Bloch said Doan's accusation that OSC gave copies of its investigative report to the public is false. The letter said OSC believes that someone from GSA obtained a copy of the report, which found that Doan had violated the Hatch Act through her role in a January meeting at GSA headquarters, and leaked it to the press.

The letter came in response to one from Doan's lawyer arguing that OSC's objectivity has been "irreparably damaged" by leaks of a report on preliminary findings to the media. Bloch should "disapprove the current report and support any further consideration of this matter by an investigative body outside the Office of Special Counsel," the lawyers said.

Bloch said Doan is "attempting to throw up roadblocks" to OSC's investigation.

"Indeed, one could construe this ruse as further obstruction, attempting to prevent completion of our investigation and report to the president," Bloch wrote. "This office has exclusive jurisdiction over the Hatch Act, and we will complete this matter and report to the president."

Doan has until Friday to respond to the report, after which the agency will send its assessment to President Bush along with Doan's response. ........

[Sapere aude]

3. Report to the fox that his pals were in the hen house?

"This office has exclusive jurisdiction over the Hatch Act, and we will complete this matter and report to the president."

[L. Coyote]

4. Report of the fox to the skunk in the hen (white) house: "Something stinks in this house."

[L. Coyote]

5. WAXMAN Knows (ALL), and his bite is worse than a wolverine's

From the letter to Doan:

At this hearing, the
Committee will examine your statements to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel about agency
political appointees who cooperated in the Committee's investigation into allegations of
misconduct at the General Services Administration. According to press accounts and a copy of
the OSC report obtained by the Committee, you have accused these officials of being biased and
poor performers.

The Washington Post reported today that you made statements under oath to OSC that
GSA political appointees who gave testimony to investigators were biased. The OSC report
itself quotes your description of these GSA political appointee witnesses as follows:

  There's not a single one of those who did not have somewhere in
  between a poor to totally inferior performance ... . (S)ome of the most
  vocal proponents or the most articulate speaking out against me are also
  the people who are people I've either moved on or they are, I don't
  want to say permanently demoted but they're kind of, until extensive
  rehabilitation of their performance occurs, they will not be getting
  promoted and they will not be getting bonuses or special awards or
  anything of that nature.'

After receiving your testimony, OSC investigators reviewed copies of all of the
witnesses' most recent performance reviews and any adverse actions proposed or taken
against them since your tenure as Adminishator began. Notably, the OSC concluded that
your account was'trnsupported and contradicted by the do^cumentary evidence" and
"appears to have been purposefully misleading and false."' V/ith respect to one
employee, whom you singled out as "totally inferior" and a "failure," the OSC found only
favorable performance evaluations and no evidence that you had ever proposed or
initiated adverse employment action for this alleged failure. In sum, the OSC found "not
credible" your implications that adverse witnesses were biased against you.

...........

Your allegations are also a matter of grave concern to me. Government employees who
cooperate with congressional and federal investigations perform a vital service to the nation. It
would be a serious abuse if your statements were part of an effort to retaliate against these
witnesses for cooperating with the Oversight Committee's investigation.

Over the past five months, it's become clear that the Justice Department falsely raised
issues about the competence of the eight U.S. Attorneys who were dismissed last December.
That tactic has been condemned across our country and by both Republicans and Democrats in
Congress. It would be remarkable if you adopted that same tactic in trying to discredit GSA
employees who cooperated with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and
the Office of Special Counsel.

In addition to being prepared to answer questions about your allegations involving the
GSA officials, you may also be asked other questions at the hearing related to the veracity of
vour statements to the OSC and this Committee...........

[L. Coyote]

6. kick