The Daily MuckThe secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court [FISC] which determines whether government wiretapping of terrorism suspects is constitutional, refuses to grant the public access to their decisions and deliberations. The court recently denied a request by the ACLU to access unclassified portions of FISC rulings, citing concerns that classified information could be compromised. The ACLU criticized the decision, arguing that “[t]he intelligence court should not be deciding important constitutional issues in secret judicial opinions issued after secret hearings at which only the government is permitted to appear.” (ACLU)
Another senior official has left the Office of Special Counsel, whose leader, Scott Bloch, has been under investigation for destroying documents and retaliating against employees. Special Counsel chief of staff Jim Mitchell was reportedly fired without warning or explanation. The firing comes one month after the resignation of deputy special council Jim Byrne, who accused Bloch of putting “political agendas and personal vendettas” ahead of the office’s mission. (NPR)
The Service Employees International Union is now being investigated by the U.S. Labor Department, for alleged misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in union funds. Three union leaders, including president Tyrone Freeman, have already stepped aside pending the investigation. A SEIU spokewoman said that the union was fully cooperating. (Los Angeles Times)
Whistle-blowers have helped federal and state governments recover $9.3 billion in health care fraud since 1996, according to a recent analysis of Justice Department records. Since the 1990s, authorities have encouraged whistleblowers to report health care fraud by offering them between 15 and 25 percent of the total funds recovered. More than 90 percent of Department of Justice lawsuits alleging health care fraud are initiated by private whistleblowers. (Los Angeles Times)
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has agreed to step down from his ranking positions on two committees, the Senate Commerce Committee and the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, following his indictment on corruption charges. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) will replace Stevens as ranking minority member on the Commerce Committee. (AIN Online)
Civil rights activists are demanding a Congressional investigation into a series of fatal police shootings in Inglewood, California. On Sunday, police shot and killed a homeless man armed with only a plastic replica of a gun. The shooting was the fourth fatal shooting involving an officer in the small city of 115,000 since May. (Los Angeles Times)
