Trump administration has said it will not comply with the impeachment probe. EVAN VUCCI / AP How Trump’s Defiance of Impeachment Probe Could Leave Federal Employees Criminally Liable As White House pledges no cooperation, experts say employees have options to remain on a legal path. OCTOBER 8, 2019 05:34 PM ET Federal employees being asked to […]

OPM’s proposed rules on comparator employee standard raise controversy IN FOCUS: The comparator employee provisions in the Office of Personnel Management’s proposed regulations implementing President Trump’s civil service reform Executive Order 13839 would change the standard for comparator employees, fanning the flames of the debate over who qualifies as similarly situated, experts told cyberFEDS® in […]

President Trump at a White House news conference on Oct. 2. CAROLYN KASTER/AP Whistleblower is Vulnerable to Retaliation Due to Limited Intelligence Community Protections Under the law, the president is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected, but experts say the law never accounted for a president leading the attack on a whistleblower. OCTOBER 2, 2019 05:28 […]

AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s fiction about whistleblower complaint President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence participate in an Armed Forces welcome ceremony for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)   WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald […]

White House attorneys directed sealing of phone transcript WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday confirmed a key detail in the intelligence whistleblower’s complaint alleging that President Donald Trump abused the power of his office. A senior administration official acknowledged that the rough transcript of Trump’s July 25 phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr […]

Whistleblowers Dealing in Classified Information Present Legal Dilemma Several presidential administrations have maintained that whistleblower law can’t force disclosure of classified material to Congress. House Democrats, including House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, (D., Calif.), want to see an intelligence-community whistleblower complaint. PHOTO: SHAWN THEW/SHUTTERSTOCK Sept. 20, 2019 5:34 pm ET WASHINGTON—At the heart of an unfolding legal […]

President Donald Trump‘s communication with an unidentified foreign leader is at issue in this case. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo ‘A deficiency in the law’: How Trump accidentally exposed a whistleblower loophole What happens when the administration won’t tell Congress about a whistleblower complaint regarding the president? The answer to the once hard-to-fathom question is complicated. […]

Déjà vu for USDA? Debra D’Agostino September 11, 2019 Agency News, Human Resources Comments Since June, when the USDA announced that it would be moving both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), its two research agencies, to Kansas City, the USDA has been sliding downhill in this uphill battle. In August, […]

Notify employees that CBD products could cause positive marijuana test IN FOCUS: With the increasing popularity of CBD, or cannabidiol products, agencies must educate employees that using these products could result in failing random drug tests. CBD products may contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is found in both marijuana and hemp products, Joanna Friedman, a partner […]

TRONG NGUYEN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Complying with the Hatch Act Isn’t That Difficult Here’s what federal employees need to know. By Debra D’Agostino | AUGUST 15, 2019 12:44 PM ET The Hatch Act restricts federal employees from taking part in political activity, defined as any activity directed at the success or failure of a political party, partisan political […]