Online Journal
Front Page 
 
 Donate
 
 Submissions
 
 Announcements
 
 NewsLinks
 
 Special Reports
 
 News Media
 
 Elections & Voting
 
 Health
 
 Religion
 
 Social Security
 
 Analysis
 
 Commentary
 
 Editors' Blog
 
 Reclaiming America
 
 The Splendid Failure of Occupation
 
 The Lighter Side
 
 Reviews
 
 The Mailbag
 
 Online Journal Stores
 Official Merchandise
 Amazon.com
 Progressive Press
 Barnes and Noble
 
 Links
 
 Join Mailing List
Search

Special Reports Last Updated: Mar 9th, 2007 - 01:17:59


Transpartisan coalition calls for whistleblower hearings; petition with strong left-right support headed to Capitol Hill
By Jesse R. Benton
Liberty Coalition


Mar 9, 2007, 01:15

Email this article
 Printer friendly page

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Liberty Coalition, a transpartisan public policy group dedicated to preserving the Bill of Rights, personal autonomy and individual privacy today sent a petition signed by 30 liberal, libertarian and conservative groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizen Outreach, OMB Watch, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Government Accountability Project, Electronic Freedom Foundation, and the National Coalition Against Censorship, to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, urging prompt hearings on the case of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) whistleblower Sibel Edmonds.

Edmonds, a former FBI language specialist, brought charges of wrongdoing, criminal activity, cover-ups and national security threats inside the agency following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Edmonds was promptly fired, which she asserts was an act of retaliation. The Department of Justice (DOJ) then used the state secrets privilege to shut down court proceedings in her case and prevent Congress from exploring the matter. Civil Liberties advocates argue that Edmonds�s case in an example of other instances where whistleblowers who tried to inform Congress and taxpayers about national security threats were intimidated silenced and retaliated against.

 �Mrs. Edmonds is not a national security threat but a national hero and the American public deserves to hear the truth of her case. Congress must act and act now by having public hearings. Without them, the cover-ups and criminal activities will just continue,� said Michael Ostrolenk, National Director of the Liberty Coalition.

Mr. Ostrolenk was supported in his contentions by Liberty Coalition partner Stephen Kohn, president of the National Whistleblower Center, who said, �Congress must hear from Mrs. Edmonds and others who corroborated her case -- we cannot wait until after another attack to learn about threats to our security.�

This popular position is echoed by Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project On Government Oversight, a watchdog group that signed the appeal brief in Mrs. Edmonds case, who said, �The issues surrounding the Edmonds case are so significant that Congress must hold hearings to investigate the government�s actions.�

The issues reported by Ms. Edmonds include:

  • Espionage activities within the FBI, DOD, and the Department of State.

  • Cover-up of information and leads pre and post 9/11, under the excuse of protecting certain diplomatic relations.

  • Deliberate mistranslation of crucial intelligence by FBI translators and management.

  • Foreign entities bribing government officials and elected representatives.

Civil Liberty advocates assert that these issues point to an abuse of power, a criminal conspiracy and attempts to cover-up wrong doing by using the coercive power of the state.

In regards to abuse of power, Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU National Office and lead counsel in Mrs. Edmonds� case, said, �The government abused the state secrets privilege to deny Sibel Edmonds her day in court, and to prevent accountability in other cases for illegal spying and rendition. It is high time for Congress to intervene.�

Dr. William Weaver, the senior advisor for the National Security Whistleblower�s Coalition, who is an expert on the state secrets privilege, agreed with Mrs. Beeson when he said, �In Edmonds� case, tyranny comes in the form of the state secrets privilege, a foolproof mechanism of the federal government to hide executive branch corruption, incompetence, and illegal activity. This is a practice more at home with Czars and nabobs, and should have no place in the United States.�

Ostrolenk continued by saying, �This is worse than Watergate in that American lives have been lost and our national security has been compromised. Mrs. Edmonds� case has been vindicated by the Justice Department Office of Inspector General, and several congressional offices. The public has a right to know. The excuse of protecting national security is fallacious. They are protecting their own power and not the American people. Mrs. Edmonds must be heard.�

Information in this document should not be taken as an endorsement by any partner organization unless explicitly stated as such.

To arrange an interview with Mr. Ostrolenk, please contact Jesse Benton at 202-246-6363. For more information on The Liberty Coalition, please visit www.libertycoalition.net.

Copyright © 1998-2007 Online Journal
Email Online Journal Editor

Top of Page

Special Reports
Latest Headlines
Libby trial sheds light on Bush/Cheney�s lies and distortions to justify war on Iraq
Free trade agreements spur immigration
The French presidential election -- Part 2 of 3: The candidates
Transpartisan coalition calls for whistleblower hearings; petition with strong left-right support headed to Capitol Hill
San Francisco -- Nuclear weapons lab backs down
The French presidential election -- Part 1 of 3: Game rules
Two FBI whistleblowers confirm illegal wiretapping of government officials and misuse of FISA
Assets of reputed CIA front man frozen in Turkey
Brownback�s mountain
Did "Bogot� Connection" embassy leaks doom U.S. spy plane in Colombia?
Fabricating the case against Iran
�Gradualist privatization� in Poland: A case study
The Salvador Option in Beirut
An interview with Ramzy Baroud
Nobel Peace Prize nominee's freedom of speech trial concludes in a �democracy�
Israel starts excavations at Al Aqsa Mosque
Olmert moves the Separation Wall 5 kilometers eastward from the 1967 borders
Palestinian rivals agree to cease-fire
U.S. Attorney Sutton's media pitch on Border Patrol agents' conviction may be a spitball
Making sense of the Middle East