FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 27, 2005 2:15 PM |
CONTACT: National Security Whistleblowers Coalition Sibel Edmonds, (703) 519-3640, sibeldeniz@aol.com |
National Security Whistleblowers Coalition: Congress, Whistleblower Protection & Accountability |
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WASHINGTON -- April 27 -- What: An unprecedented group of national security whistleblowers have formed a united front as the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC). They will collectively attend two bipartisan congressional meetings today to demand that Congress act to end government retaliation against those who expose national security blunders, that Congress hold hearings into the federal governmenta's actions against whistleblowers, and that Congress act to require individual accountability for retaliation against whistleblowers. The congressional meetings will be followed by a press conference featuring speakers from the NSWBC and guest speakers.
Speakers: Sibel Edmonds, Former Language Specialist, FBI Coleen Rowley, Retired Agent and former division counsel, FBI John Vincent, Veteran Special Agent, FBI Mike German, Veteran Special Agent, FBI Russ Tice, Senior Intelligence Analyst & Action Officer, NSA Jesselyn Radack, Former Counsel, DOJ
Guest Speakers: Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) Mark Zaid, attorney, Krieger Zaid LLC Professor William Weaver, University of Texas Danielle Brian, Director, Project on Government Oversight (POGO) Tom Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project (GAP) Dan Ellsberg, Founder, Truth Telling Project
Date: Thursday, April 28 Time: 1:30 PM- 3:00PM Location: 122 Cannon House Office Building, SE, Washington, DC
Background: Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, whistleblowers have felt compelled to come forward in greater numbers to address our nation's security weaknesses in fact almost 50% more have sought protection annually under the Whistleblower Protection Act since that terrible event. However, patriotic truth-tellers across a variety of federal agencies have no protection against retaliation when they blow the whistle. Today, the federal government's policies support and reinforce wrongdoers who would seek to silence whistleblowers by demoting them, taking away their security clearances, or firing them. In recent days that point was illustrated in the case of FBI Special Agent Robert Wright, who has been critical of the efforts to pursue terrorists. Without whistleblower protections, agencies will continue to quash truth tellers and national security weaknesses will be allowed to fester underneath the growing cloak of secrecy.
1. Anderson, Mick, Former Senior Advisor for Policy, DOJ, ### |
bttt
So Daniel Ellsberg is part of this National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC) helping Tice on this?