July 27, 2007



Dear Congressman Reichert,



I just read this article in Forbes regarding Boeing once again being allowed to pay to avoid alleged crimes being prosecuted. This case is about small things like nuts and bolts. Obviously, that is being taken seriously as wrongdoing here, as Boeing had to pay over a million dollars, a small sum in the grand view of things. However, the other case I know you know about, which after being passed along like the plague by various federal criminal investigative agencies continues to roil about in case development stages in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and appears to be having a hard time being effectively accomplished. This case is about Boeing appropriating and using for their own purposes and then billing repeatedly I am told, Research and Development (R&D), which was already paid for by the government previously to the tune of millions or billions of dollars. If they can be held accountable for negligible sums of money, why are they allowed to cheat and steal with impunity when we are talking vast sums of money? To use a simple analogy, why is it easier for Justice Dept. to go after people for stealing a chair off the porch, than hold Boeing accountable for the theft of the entire, house, barn and herds of livestock, which is occurring right in front of the government’s eyes?



Also, why does the government make it so hard for people, who are with the government’s best interests in focus, reporting these unethical and criminal acts? Why are these people called whistleblowers, and then punished for being responsible? And finally, why won’t the government, all branches make sure laws are passed which protect all such government employees from retribution and harassment and destruction of their lives for just doing their jobs? Are all parts of government so corrupted and ineffective, they really cannot hold the line and clean this up?





Sincerely,







Please see summary of article and link to Forbes article I refer to below:







Forbes reports in “Boeing to Pay $1M to Settle Bills Claims” July 16, 2007, that the Boeing Company has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle allegations that the company over billed for materials used in installing new KC-135 aircraft engines. U.S. attorney’s announced this Monday, July 16. Forbes story available at: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/16/ap3919116.html



U.S. attorney, Eric Melgren, is quoted as saying “that the government alleged that Boeing double-billed for materials used in modernizing KC-135 Stratotankers and RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft. Materials double billed included nuts, bolts, rivets, and fasteners.” Further more, prosecutors alleged, “that Boeing charged for the materials even though those costs were included in the company’s contract with the government.”



It appears that, if the allegations of double billing are true, by allowing Boeing to settle out of court, the U.S. Attorney General’s office has rescued the company once again from the logical consequences of their actions. Criminal charges, which if they’d been found guilty in court, would have caused an official record of criminal wrong-doing and the probability, if not requirement, of punitive removal of the company’s eligibility to bid on and be awarded lucrative government defense contracts for a set period of time, or possibly indefinitely.









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August 14, 2007

Dear_____________,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding Whistleblower Protection. I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

A whistleblower is anyone who makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing. This is an important process that ensures that employees are protected when they raise allegations of wrongdoing in the workplace. Some famous whistleblowers include Sherron Watkins, who exposed Enron's corporate financial scandals, Joseph Darby who alerted the U.S. military of prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib and Colleen Rowley who exposed the failure of the Federal Bureau of Investigations to act on information regarding Zacarias Moussaoui , who was later convicted of conspiring to kill Americans in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In 1989, the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) was passed and signed into law. However, the WPA has continuously been challenged and therefore weakened through numerous rulings by the U.S. Courts of Appeals. This process has virtually taken away all whistleblower protection. During the 109 th Congress, Representative Todd Platts (R-PA) introduced legislation to strengthen protections for federal employees. H.R. 1317, the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act, would protect any federal employee who discloses any evidence of waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement in the government. Currently no legislation has been introduced in the 110 th Congress regarding whistleblower protection. Should legislation be introduced, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind.

In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002, included provisions that would protect corporate whistleblowers from acts of discrimination, as a result of whistleblowing. This legislation was signed into public law on July 30, 2002.

I appreciate hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns or questions. I encourage you to contact me via my website at http://www.house.gov/reichert/ to expedite your thoughts and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

David G. Reichert
Member of Congress

Please DO NOT REPLY to this e-mail because it was sent from an unattended mailbox. If you'd like to reply, please send a response via my website, http://www.house.gov/reichert/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm. Thank you for your help in making sure I receive your important communications.
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To see the Congressional Record of discussion, amendments and vote on HR 985, to: http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2007/h031407-wpea.html

This vote was taken on march 14, 2007. It appears Mr. Reichert did vote yea on the bill. To see how other Congressperson's voted, see the website given above.

VM