"I believe these questions are inappropriate and are designed to suppress our investigations..."

[The Straight Story]

Special counsel takes heat for personal e-mail use
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt [e-mail] July 13, 2007

Republican members of a House subcommittee on Thursday grilled the head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel over his handling of a recent Hatch Act investigation and his use of a personal e-mail account to discuss agency business.

At a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., unveiled a June 19 e-mail Special Counsel Scott Bloch sent using his personal account, alluding to recent testimony by Lurita Doan, the head of the General Services Administration.

Bloch's office last month sent a report to the White House concluding that Doan violated the Hatch Act, a law limiting political activity in government offices. The office recommended that President Bush discipline Doan "to the fullest extent" for the violation, as well as her failure to cooperate fully and honestly with OSC's investigation.

....

"It's not going to happen," Bloch said. "I believe these questions are inappropriate and are designed to suppress our investigations of the White House."

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