Deputy AG-Nominee is "a big believer in whistleblowers"
This just in from Steven Aftergood's "Secrey News" blog with the Federation of American Scientists:
David W. Ogden, who has been nominated to be the next Deputy
Attorney General, last week expressed strong support for government
whistleblowers who help to expose corruption or malfeasance.
“I am a big believer in whistleblowers,” he said
at his February 5 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, “and in the need to make sure that people feel comfortable
coming forward to make complaints.”
“I think what we need is a process that encourages whistleblowing in
this administration and any other administration going forward. The
business of making sure that we’re doing the right thing is an ongoing
business,” Mr. Ogden said in response to a question from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
He said he would work with the Attorney General “to fashion an
appropriate process that encourages whistleblowers to raise issues that
need to be addressed.”
Mr. Ogden also indicated a willingness to consider public disclosure
of certain legal opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Court.
Sen. Ron Wyden noted that “there are a lot of important rulings that
go to the meaning of surveillance law, and I think that a lot of those
kinds of judgments really could be redacted and declassified so that
the country could be brought in in a more informed, a more complete way
to these national-security debates.”
“I absolutely will commit to take a fresh look at this issue if I’m confirmed,” Mr. Ogden said.
FIS Court opinions that interpret surveillance law were one of several categories of “secret law” that were identified (pdf) in an April 30, 2008 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the subject.
Original post available here.