Probe of White House political operations moves ahead

Probe of White House political operations moves ahead

www.latimes.com

Special counsel sets procedures to investigate firing of a U.S. attorney and missing White House e-mails.

WASHINGTON — Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch met with White House Counsel Fred F. Fielding on Thursday as he pushed ahead with an ambitious inquiry into White House political operations.

"I came away believing that the White House intends to cooperate and was glad to open channels of communication," said Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel.

Bloch said he and Fielding set up procedures that his agency would use to investigate the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails and the distribution of political information to Cabinet agencies.

Bloch's office, with 106 employees, enforces laws to protect federal whistle-blowers and prevent discrimination.

It also enforces the Hatch Act, which generally prohibits the use of federal resources for campaign purposes and protects civil servants from political coercion.

Bloch, who was appointed by President Bush, has a lot of critics. He has been at odds with liberal groups and advocates for whistle-blowers and gay rights — and with some White House officials.

Activist groups have called for Bloch to step down, saying he is under investigation by the Bush administration. He is accused of intimidating agency employees and discriminating against gays and lesbians. He also faces criticism for his record on enforcing the whistle-blower law.

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The Growing White House Email Conspiracy

So, here we have a Bush appointee, Bloch, conferring with the Whitehouse legal council, Fielding to set up how the investigation is going to proceed. Will anything really come out of this "ambitious" investigation? Bloch is supposedly under investigation by the Whitehouse but he is going to investigate the Whitehouse; how does that work, exactly?

It sounds to me like we are in for a long and nasty time of it.


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