Operation Clean Government is calling upon Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse to immediately drop his lawsuit against three whistleblowers in the Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
That the Attorney General of a state with a long and tortured history of corruption would even consider suing whistle-blowers is beyond rational comprehension. The actual filing of such a lawsuit is a dereliction of the duty of the Office of Attorney General to root out wrongdoing in the state government
That the state employees in question were within their rights to report improper conduct by their superiors has already been decided. The Attorney General now seeks to reverse prior court decisions using technical arguments which ignore the fundamental court findings that upheld the charges of these employees against their superiors at DEM and sanctioned their actions to protect themselves and the public.
Can Mr. Whitehouse be blind to the fact that his present actions are likely to threaten and dissuade any state employee who may consider speaking out about government unwillingness to enforce its own regulations? Can he not understand that it is the proper role of an attorney general to encourage witnesses to come forward, rather than to aid in their intimidation?
With the filing of the lawsuit Attorney General Whitehouse sends a loud and clear message: do not try to right the wrongs you encounter on the job or the entire might of state government will descend upon you. The other clear message to potential whistle-blowers is that the RI Attorney General's office, the one hope for refuge in state government, is in truth a collaborator in retaliation and recrimination against honest citizens.
Operation Clean Government holds accountable those whom the citizenry entrust with the stewardship of their state government. Transparency in government and the citizen's access to their government are essential to a healthy democracy. OCG advocates strong democratic laws and institutions that instill public confidence that common policies are fairly debated and decided on the merits, and that common resources are used responsibly.
The next monthly meeting of the OCG Board of Directors is
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