Posted on 06/06/2005 6:52:41 PM PDT by CHARLITE
A Los Alamos whistleblower scheduled to testify before congress later this month is now in the hospital, according to news reports. Auditor Tommy Hook was brutally beaten by three or four anonymous assailants who allegedly ordered him to keep quiet.
On Saturday night, Hook went to a Santa Fe bar ostensibly to meet a person claiming to be a fellow Los Alamos whistleblower that called that night. When the person did not show, Hook left the bar after consuming two drinks.
In the parking lot, he was yanked out of his car and beaten so badly by the three or four men that he had to be taken to intensive care at a local emergency room.
Reportedly, Hook did not provoke these men. The men concentrated on kicking his head, and Hook's family has opined that the men would have killed him if it hadn't been for a club employee, who ran from the club and broke up the beating.
Congressional staff members were set to arrive Tuesday in Los Alamos to investigate Hook's allegations of malfeasance at the lab.
Tommy Hook remains hospitalized with severe trauma to his face and head, including a fractured jaw and a herniated disk. The FBI has been called-in to investigate the attack, and Hook is currently under close protective custody.
Congress Warned of Ill Treatment of Hook
Last March, Danielle Brian, Executive Director Project On Government Oversight (POGO) testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding a review of security initiatives at DOE Nuclear Weapons Facilities.
He especially focused on Hook and another whisterblower:
"I would be remiss if I did not report to the Committee that, while not a part of former Secretary Abraham's initiatives, the treatment of whistleblowers throughout the complex remains abysmal. Retaliation remains the norm, not the exception, as can be seen in the case of Tommy Hook and Chuck Montano, who have both worked at Los Alamos for decades.
"After the Committee's three hearings on financial fraud at Los Alamos, the University of California was telling the public that all was resolved, while at the same time retaliating against these two men who knew otherwise. Hook and Montano were responsible for providing audit support for UC and uncovered ongoing irregularities and outright misconduct amounting to millions of taxpayer dollars.
"Their audit reports were withheld from DOE. Their treatment? Their work was taken away from them, they were given no work for nine months, and now they are only being handed menial assignments. Even the head of the Los Alamos Site Office tried to intervene on Tommy Hook's behalf, only to be rebuffed by an arrogant University of California."
According to a report in Exec.com, Susan Hook, the victim's wife, Bob Rothstein, his attorney, and Montano confirmed that Hook was at the club to meet with another employee who claimed to have information that would support charges of wrongdoing.
Susan Hook and Montano further alleged that the assault was absolutely connected to Tommy Hook's impending testimony:
"When they were beating him up, they were telling him ... 'If you know what is good for you, you will keep your mouth shut,'" said Susan Hook.
Rothstein recalled that a person claiming to be an auditor from Los Alamos had contacted Hook a week before and had offered to share information about financial issues at the laboratory. Rothstein said that one meeting had already fallen through, but the second was arranged on Saturday night at the strip club.
The nightclub's doorman ran into the parking lot and broke up the attack, according to a club employee who witnessed the beating. The employee said Hook was assaulted by a group of men.
Joint Investigation
Called to the scene, FBI Special Agent Bill Elwell confirmed that federal agents are investigating with Santa Fe police officers. He said they are "still trying to figure out" what happened at the nightclub. "We are looking into the allegations made by Mr. Hook," Elwell said.
Los Alamos issued a statement:
"The University of California and the laboratory are outraged that a laboratory employee was the victim of a weekend assault in Santa Fe. Director [Robert] Kuckuck was made aware of the attack this morning and expressed his hope that the individual will make a quick recovery"
"Director Kuckuck, the University of California and the laboratory believe that any form of physical violence toward an individual is unacceptable. The laboratory is in contact with the Santa Fe Police Department and is providing the laboratory's full support and cooperation with the ongoing investigation."
Susan Hooks said that her husband's wallet and car were not taken.
Can you visualize a "Rodham Clinton" presidency? They'd go through their "enemies list" like a hot knife through butter, starting sometime around 1 PM on 1/20/09.
Char (:
UC payback!
What's up with the NBC specualtion that Hooks might be charged? (thread got pulled and redirected here)
Charged with what?
They said he might be charged with filing a false police report.
NBC was trying to make it look like it was a random mugging, and Hook told the police that it was to do with his Los Alamos dealings.
Oh, it's a bar behavior related beating instead of someone trying to shut him up as he claimed?
Thats what NBC would like you to believe.
The word is out. The whistleblower is lying to cover up the allegeded fact that he hit a pedestrian while backing out of a strip club. Some guys beat him up when he argued and I would guess he used this story for his wife's consumption also.
Reported on the local radio this am.
Charging him with filing a false police report.
This story deserves a new thread imo.
No, but I've worked at Lawrence Livermore before.
OH well.. the "republicans" buryied that investigation too..
Wonder what else Clinton "SOLD" them.. besides the entry and exit points in the Panama canal.. He almost sold the chinese an ENTIRE Naval Base in Mexifornia(Terminal Island).. with docks, warehouses, dry docks and everything.. until FR discovered that little bit of espionage..
What really does..
"I'm a Unite'er not a Divide'er" mean anyway.. Surely Bush is not a traitor and knows all this.. don't HE.?. Most of Clintons political appointees are still in office.. wouldn't want to freak out the rubes.. would we.. Is Washington D.C. National Security politics a Chinese Fire Drill.?.
What does a laugh sound like in Chinese.?.
That is so true. What happened to Mr. Hook is right out of Richard Nixon's little bag of dirty tricks. Get the connection? When Nixon and his buddy J. Edgar wanted to smear somebody they'd go for the age old weapon -- booze and sex. When GM wanted to get Ralph Nader they tried to call him a homosexual. Well, let me tell you, there are lots worse things in this world than booze and sex. For one, the damage done to Mr. Hook's face. These people will stop at nothing to protect their positions of power.
That's how it looks to me. This guy got stomped on his own time, not because he's a "whistleblower".
imo
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