USDA agency launches inquiry into lobbying e-mail

[The Straight Story]

USDA agency launches inquiry into lobbying e-mail
By Anika Gupta [e-mail] August 8, 2007

The head of an Agriculture Department agency said Wednesday that she was prepared to take "appropriate action" against any employee who is found to have used government equipment to lobby against pending legislation.

"Obviously, we take this very seriously," said Teresa Lasseter, administrator of the Farm Service Agency, in reference to an e-mail circulated last Thursday within the agency urging recipients to contact their senators to express their opposition to a provision in the House version of the Farm Bill that would reopen thousands of discrimination claims by black farmers. Those found to have been involved with the e-mail could face severe civil and criminal penalties.

Lasseter said she has appointed an independent investigator to the case. "I have a lot of confidence in ," she said. "He was trained by the inspector general, and he's not close to the employees."

Lasseter's claim addresses the concerns of critics, some of whom have called for a third party investigation. Among the critics is John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, who has been working on legislation to reopen the cases for six years.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=37700&dcn=todaysnews

[MissWaverly]

1. the government is loaded with cronies who don't know

any of the rules regarding ethical behavior, it is depressing what our government has become under the "decider."