News

FDA’s Spying on Employees Widespread

Washington, D.C. July 14, 2012. Today, the New York Times published a groundbreaking story on the government's secret spying program on a group of whistleblowers employed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Stephen M. Kohn, a Partner with Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP and the lead attorney for the FDA whistleblowers, issued the following statement:

We hope that the revelations in today's New York Times will mark a turning point in the battle to stop the retaliatory surveillance of whistleblowers who risk their careers to report misconduct.

The spying program revealed in today's New York Times article was illegal. The story demonstrated how government managers used a covert spying program to interfere with the ability of federal employees to lawfully report significant threats to the public safety to Congress, law enforcement officials and the American people. We hope that these public disclosures will mark the beginning of the end of government spying on employees who report misconduct to the appropriate authorities.

CBS Evening News: FDA spying on their own scientists

CNN: FDA spied on whistleblowers

Demoracy Now!: Spying on Scientists: How the FDA Monitored Whistleblowers Who Raised Concerns over Radiation

Case Updates:

OSC Guidance Memorandum, June 20, 2012
Special Counsel warns against targeted monitoring of whistleblowers, FederalTimes.com, June 20, 2012
Obama administration warns federal agencies that monitoring employees’ e-mail could violate law, Washington Post, June 21, 2012
Office of Special Counsel Opens Investigation into FDA’s Surveillance of Employees’ E-mail.
Representative Darrell Issa, launched an investigation into the FDA's targeting of whistleblowers for highly intrusive monitoring and computerized searches.
Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) launched an investigation in response to the lawsuit filed by six FDA whistleblowers.
New York Times Editorial: Pursuit of the Whistle-Blowers