In a recent turn of events that is nothing short of remarkable, FBI agents have raided the home and office of Office of Special Counsel Scott Bloch, "seizing computers and documents belonging to the agency chief and staff," as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

FBI agents and investigators are working to determine if Scott Bloch and his senior staff are part of a cover-up.

Bloch was caught erasing files on his own computer as well as the computers of two of his former staff members after discovering he was being investigated back in 2005.

In an earlier WSJ article, Bloch admitted using a private computer service called "Geeks on Call" to erase files but claimed he was just getting rid of a virus. 

The OSC is seen by many federal agents I have interviewed as the standard-bearer in fighting fraud and corruption within the federal government. Many agents appeal their cases to OSC; the office take on but a few.

And yet in recent years, a growing number of these federal agents (interviewed by me) have been unexpectedly dropped, or their cases inexplicably "settled," in what they thought to be the homestretch of accountability.  

Perhaps the motivation behind this FBI raid explains why. The Inspector General is now looking into claims that Mr. Bloch "abused his investigative authority, improperly retaliated against employees or dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination."

So, who's guarding the guards? 

FBI Agents Raid Work, Home Of Special Counsel's Bloch 

By JOHN R. WILKE

May 6, 2008    3:10 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided the Office of Special Counsel here, seizing computers and documents belonging to the agency chief Scott Bloch and staff.

More than a dozen FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas shortly after 10 a.m., shutting down the agency's computer network and searching its offices, as well as Mr. Bloch's home. Employees said the searches appeared focused on alleged obstruction of justice by Mr. Bloch during the course of an 2006 inquiry into his conduct in office.

The independent agency, created by Congress in the wake of the Watergate scandal, is charged with protecting federal employees and deciding whether their complaints merit full-scale investigation — a first line of defense against fraud and mismanagement in government. It also enforces a ban on U.S. employees engaging in partisan political activity.

The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Mr. Bloch had used "Geeks on Call," an outside computer-service firm, to erase his computer and those of two former staff members in December 2006. (See related article)

Mr. Bloch's agency is typically involved in sensitive investigations of alleged government wrongdoing. Before the departure of White House political director Karl Rove, Mr. Bloch's staff was looking into whether he or other White House officials improperly used federal agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006.

At the same time, Mr. Bloch has been under investigation himself since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch abused his investigative authority, improperly retaliated against employees or dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination.

The computer erasures became part of that investigation and are one of the reasons behind today's raid, employees said. Investigators were trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, the Journal article reported.

Bypassing his agency's computer technicians, Mr. Bloch phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS, the mobile PC-help service. It dispatched a technician in one of its signature PT Cruiser wagons. In the Journal story, Mr. Bloch confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he was trying to eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer. He said the erasures didn't delete any files related to the inquiry.

  Illustration by: Steve Brodner

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