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Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat | |
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THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - December 3, 2007
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Head of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself
By John R. Wilke
The Wall Street Journal
Bloch used private company, Geeks on Call, to delete files
on his office computer.
Washington - The head of the federal agency investigating
Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing
allegations that he improperly deleted computer files
during another probe, using a private computer-help
company, Geeks on Call.
Scott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency
charged with protecting government whistleblowers and
enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan
political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into
whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used
government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006.
At the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under
investigation 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
improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed
whistleblower cases without adequate examination.
Recently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all
the files on his office personal computer late last year.
They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were
improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case
said.
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Bypassing his agency's computer technicians, Mr. Bloch
phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-
help service. It dispatched a technician in one of its
signature PT Cruiser wagons. In an interview, the 49-year-
old former labor-law litigator from Lawrence, Kan.,
confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he
was trying to eradicate a virus that had seized control
of his computer.
Mr. Bloch said no documents relevant to any investigation
were affected. He also says the employee claims against
him are unwarranted. Mr. Bloch believes the White House
may have a conflict of interest in pressing the inquiry
into his conduct while his office investigates the White
House political operation. Concerned about possible damage
to his reputation, he cites a Washington saying, "You're
innocent until investigated."
Clay Johnson, the White House official overseeing the
Office of Personnel Management's inquiry into Mr. Bloch,
declined to comment. Depending on circumstances, erasing
files or destroying evidence in a federal investigation
can be considered obstruction of justice.
Mr. Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed
using a "seven-level" wipe: a thorough scrubbing that
conforms to Defense Department data-security standards.
The process makes it nearly impossible for forensics
experts to restore the data later. He also directed Geeks
on Call to erase laptop computers that had been used by
his two top political deputies, who had recently left the
agency.
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Geeks on Call visited Mr. Bloch's government office in a
nondescript office building on M Street in Washington
twice, on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2006, according to a receipt
reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The total charge was
$1,149, paid with an agency credit card, the receipt shows.
The receipt says a seven-level wipe was performed but
doesn't mention any computer virus.
Jeff Phelps, who runs Washington's Geeks on Call franchise,
declined to talk about specific clients, but said calls
placed directly by government officials are unusual. He
also said erasing a drive is an unusual virus treatment.
"We don't do a seven-level wipe for a virus," he said.
Mr. Bloch was a loyal member of the Bush administration,
serving in the Justice Department's office of faith-based
programs, when the president named him to head the Office
of Special Counsel in 2003. Unlike many administration
appointees, Mr. Bloch doesn't serve at the pleasure of the
president. He has a fixed five-year term and may be removed
only for malfeasance. That is supposed to ensure his agency
has the independence to pursue any probe.
Mr. Bloch's investigation of the White House political
operation began after a Rove deputy gave a series of
political presentations to government agencies on
Republican prospects in specific congressional races.
Mr. Bloch's office wants to know whether such presentations
violated the Hatch Act, a law forbidding the use of federal
resources to back candidates for office.
The Office of Special Counsel has set up a task force of
lawyers and investigators, led by Mr. Bloch's deputy, James
Byrne, to determine which agencies got political briefings
from the White House. The agency plans to interview
officials at more than 20 agencies and is examining White
House emails and documents.
In one email, sent by the U.S. drug-control office and
disclosed this summer, an official quotes Mr. Rove as being
pleased that officials at the Commerce, Transportation and
Agriculture departments went "above and beyond" the call
of duty in arranging appearances by cabinet members at
Republican campaign events.
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Mr. Rove has resigned from the White House and is no longer
under jurisdiction of the Office of Special Counsel. His
attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to comment.
The special counsel's probe has already found one alleged
violation, at the General Services Administration, where
Rove deputies gave a presentation on Jan. 26. At the end
of the presentation, according to a report by Mr. Bloch's
office on the incident, GSA Administrator Lurita Doan
asked, "How can we help our candidates?" Twenty
participants in the meeting recalled substantially the
same words, the report said.
In a letter to President Bush, Mr. Bloch urged that Ms.
Doan "be disciplined to the fullest extent for her serious
violation of the Hatch Act" and for failing to cooperate
"fully and honestly" with the probe. The White House hasn't
acted on Mr. Bloch's request. In a response, Ms. Doan said
the investigation was "far off the mark." Her lawyer urged
the White House to ignore Mr. Bloch's findings, citing a
"clear lack of objectivity and impartiality."
Now, Mr. Bloch is facing claims that he too isn't cooperat-
ing with investigators. Agents working for the inspector
general of the Office of Personnel Management are seeking
his emails and a copy of an encrypted flash drive he bought
from the Geek service.
"I have nothing to hide and I've cooperated with all
legitimate requests," Mr. Bloch said.
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