Government Watchdog Under Investigation for Deleting Files

Criminal Justice

Government Watchdog Under Investigation for Deleting Files

Posted Nov 28, 2007, 08:37 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

The head of the federal agency leading the investigation of political influence in government decision-making is under fire for erasing computer files.

Scott Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel, has been under investigation since 2005 for allegedly retaliating against employees who disputed his policies and abandoning legitimate cases to eliminate a backlog.

Now investigators have learned that Bloch erased files late last year on a personal computer in his office with the help of Geeks on Call, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req). Investigators want to know if the “seven-level wipe,” which makes it nearly impossible to restore data, was part of a cover-up, the newspaper says. Bloch also had two laptop computers erased that had been used by his top deputies.

Bloch maintains he made the call to eliminate a virus and that none of the erased documents were relevant to any investigations. The man who runs Geeks on Call’s Washington, D.C., franchise refused to comment on the work for Bloch, but told the newspaper that his firm does not do a seven-level wipe for a virus.

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Posted by Glen G. Mayberry - 10 months, 1 week, 2 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes ago

The computer that held the data should have a anit-virus program whereby each week the Computer is checked for viruses etc. This way teh data would not have to be deleted. It is unlawful for someone to come into some one elses palce and take there material etc. It is maybe unlawful search and seizure.

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