JANE TURNER - FBI Whistleblower - An American Heroine
“Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance.” Obama-Biden Transition Project: Office of the President-elect and Office of the Vice President-elect
America is a better - more honest - place because of Americans who risk it all for the common good by speaking out against waste, fraud and abuse. Here are just a few names most of us are familiar with:
Mark Felt*
In the Watergate scandal that toppled the presidency of Richard Nixon, this FBI figure was the secret informant known as Deep Throat who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Though Deep Throat became a symbol of shadowy Washington sources dishing out information in clandestine meetings, his identity was kept secret until 2005.
Daniel Ellsberg*
The employee of the State Department in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, a secret account of documents pertaining to how the United States came to fight the Vietnam War. The Nixon administration sought the Supreme Court's help in preventing The New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the papers but was rejected.
Karen Silkwood*
She was played in a movie named for her, in this case by Meryl Streep in 1983. She died mysteriously in 1974 in the midst of a campaign to challenge Kerr-McGee about the safety of a nuclear facility.
Then there are others whose actions are no less noteworthy and just worthy of as much recognition and praise: Jane Turner - FBI whistleblower.
Jane Turner
It was a very early morning Twitter encounter this past week that connected Ms. Turner and I. She contacted me regarding my tweet/post: "Ignored National Security Risk & A Continued Toxic and Hostile Work Environment at FEMA. Here’s More Tangible Proof. The Status Quo Must Change; Congress Must Hold Hearings & Media Must Investigate."
How exhilarating - how humbling - it was to receive a tweet from her asking: "Is there anything we can do for you?" She is a heroine more Americans need to know about. After reading about her, you'll understand why.
Jane Turner was a highly decorated, 25-year veteran Special Agent with the FBI. She served in the most difficult investigatory positions and was the first women named as the head of an FBI resident agency. She led the FBI’s highly successful programs combating crimes against women and child sex crime victims on North Dakota Indian Reservations. In retaliation for exposing FBI failures within its child crime program, Turner was removed from senior resident agent position (more).
- Jane Turner, FBI Whistleblower, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto
- FBI Whistleblower Wins Final Judgement
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- FBI Whistleblower Jane Turner - Senator Chuck Grassley
- U.S. Department of Justice - Office of the Inspector General
George Washington encouraged us to "labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience."
You are not alone. If you need guidance on whistleblowing activities, you might want to consult an attorney specializing in this field. Information on the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) website is also extremely helpful. While there, please consider making a donation.
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