In WikiLeaks Wake, Whistle-Blower Bill Set To Pass

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In WikiLeaks Wake, Whistle-Blower Bill Set To Pass
by The Associated Press
WASHINGTON December 1, 2010, 06:21 am ET

Following the latest baring of U.S. secrets on the Internet, Congress is poised to pass legislation giving employees in the most sensitive government jobs a way to report corruption, waste and mismanagement without turning to outside organizations like WikiLeaks.

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill, and it is viewed by supporters as a way to discourage leaks of classified information. It would give intelligence agency whistle-blowers a way to raise concerns within their agencies instead of giving classified materials to WikiLeaks or other outlets, which is illegal.

Without protections spelled out in law, whistle-blowers risk being fired or demoted for informing their chains of command about misconduct, according to Tom Devine, legal director at the Government Accountability Project. That leaves no alternative to anonymous — and potentially damaging — leaks unless whistle-blowers are willing to jeopardize their careers, he said.

"Until this law is passed, WikiLeaks will continue to be the safest option for whistle-blowers unwilling to engage in professional suicide," said Devine, who is coordinating support for the bill from a coalition of more than 60 public interest and advocacy groups.

The Senate is expected to approve the bill this week and send it to the House, where Democrats are planning to pass it quickly.