Housing Whistleblower Posthumously Granted Sought Funds; No Prosecution for DoJ Memo Drafters?

In a fascinating (and troubling) story out of Houston, the mayor has decided to provide local funds to repair the house of a woman who was responsible for uncovering a multi-million dollar over-charging scam which “eventually led the Department of Housing and Urban Development to demand that Houston repay $15.5 million in misspent funds provided by HUD for home repairs and other housing programs.” The woman, whose house was never fixed since she blew the whistle in 2001, died late last year.

Additionally over the weekend, in a serious blow to government accountability, and on the heels of last week’s announcement by the Obama administration that criminal charges against CIA officers involved in torture would not be sought, Obama’s Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel announced that the administration would also not seek any prosecutions against those Justice Department lawyers who drafted controversial legal memos justifying the use of torture.

A few months back, one segment of GAP’s television show Whistle Where You Work focused on the future of the Justice Department, with expert views on what could be done to fix the integrity of the department.

-- Dylan Blaylock