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Next Up at the Office of Special Counsel

Next Steps at Special Counsel Scott Bloch is out as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. Now the discussion turns to where the office is headed next, as t...

Federal News Network Staff

October 24, 2008 2:46 pm

2 min read

Next Steps at Special Counsel

Scott Bloch is out as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. Now the discussion turns to where the office is headed next, as the new President elected in two weeks will have another opening to fill.

Attorney Bill Bransford, partner in the law firm Shaw, Bransford, Veilleux, and Roth, and a host of Fed Talk on Federal News Radio 1500 AM, has dealt many times with the OSC. He shared ideas about what he thinks the OSC can do to get back on track, from the client’s perspective.

Click to hear the interview

Former Special Counsel at OSC from 1998 to 2003 Elaine Kaplan and her Deputy Special Counsel, Tim Hannapel (both now at the National Treasury Employees Union) have written an article for the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy called “Reinvigorating the US Office of Special Counsel: Suggestions for the Next Administration.” Ms. Kaplan talked about the changes she thinks are needed at OSC.

Click to hear the interview

Here’s What We’re Doing

At yesterday’s Senate Banking Committee on the Federal response to financial markets, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair and Interim Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability and Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Neel Kashkari, the head of the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, gave Chairman Chris Dodd and the members of the committee an update on what they’re doing with the authority they got from the bailout legislation.

Click to watch the entire hearing

Only Three Months to Go

We’re now less than 12 weeks out from a new President taking office, and transition is getting a lot of attention. One Presidential campaign will have to shift gears and move into governing mode. An event called Presidential Transitions: From Campaigning to Governing (includes video link) took a look at how that will happen. Two of the speakers at the event will join me this afternoon to talk about that subject: Patrick Griffin, Former Assistant to President Clinton for Legislative Affairs and Academic Director of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute at American University; and Gary Andres, Former Assistant for Legislative Affairs to President George H. W. Bush and Vice Chairman of Public Policy and Research at Dutko Worldwide.

Click to hear the interview