Safety Whistleblower Recommended for Cash Bonus, Then Fired

[Tsiyu]

By John Solomon Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 26, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - A government scientist who blew the whistle on shoddy research had been recommended for a cash bonus, but his bosses pulled it back and tried to fire him after the scientist raised allegations of interference with his safety work, memos show.
"This is going to take some work," National Institutes of Health AIDS Division Director Dr. Edmund Tramont wrote Feb. 23, 2004, in an e-mail that laid out plans to fire whistleblower Dr. Jonathan Fishbein. "In Clauswitzian style, we must overwhelm with force," Tramont wrote, referring to 19th-century Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz.

Just weeks earlier, Tramont had recommended Fishbein for a $2,500 award for his first-year performance and sent an e-mail praising Fishbein for improving AIDS research safety and compliance, according to memos obtained by The Associated Press.

Since Fishbein's allegations of shoddy government research practices and poor patient protections inside NIH were reported by the AP in December, the agency has said he was being fired for poor performance while on probation.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB9NOL5F4E.html

[KT2000]

1. This is priceless

sure hope this guy has a good lawyer.

[Hekate]

2. I love self-regulation -- so much like the fox watching the henhouse

n/t

Hekate

[truthisfreedom]

3. perhaps we should insist that our congresspeople rewrite the whistleblower

laws to include prison terms for those who attempt to thwart them.

[Mel]

5. ahh, here's the rub

<snip>A judge recently ruled Fishbein has no whistle blower protections, as normal federal workers do, because he was hired as a special employee at a higher salary.</snip>

They do need to add prison terms for those who attempt to thwart them and include whistle blower protection for contract workers/special employee.

So, is 'special employee' new speak for 'contract workers' or am I assuming wrong here?

[MSgt213]

4. How come we allow anyone including the government to sham us with safety

officers, inspectors and compliance officers who are immediately fired when they attempt to do their jobs. We are such idiots.