However, you clearly don't understand the government. Unlike the private sector where your boss might have some hiring and firing authority, in the federal government the boss shares only part of that authority with several other layers of management, and with an independent agency called OPM (office of personnel management).
Also, for all the talk of rapid growth of government, they're really talking about state and local governments ~ the federales haven't increased substantially since the 1960s. They have computerized and hired on smarter folks by raising standards, but there's limited growth.
Worse from the standpoint of the employees has been the institution of a flat hierarchical structure ~ you have a boss, a bunch of college grads, and a computer system (with no secretaries or clerks). There may be two more layers of management above them before you get to the top.
One surefire route to promotional success in the federal government is for management ranks to have a higher than average death rate, or earlier than normal retirements!
If you can nail a higher level boss in a crime, that's even better since that'll usually take her out, and several of her cronies.
The only boss to not sandbag is your immediate supervisor.
If you assume you have to threaten the rank and file to get them to talk you are in serious error. Promise them immunity. Promise then a chance for a 1 grade promotion They'll tell you what you need about anybody.
Are you kidding me? The whole equal protection thing was Sh4t on.
That it "happens all the time", and for the reasons this was done should be a crime.
I look forward to the day a federal bureaucrat sets out to make an example of someone, and gets made an example of in return.