OSC Scott Bloch to step down on January 5, 2009.

Interesting that this was quiet on the news and in the media. We can only wonder if the House committee will continue an investigation into Office of Special Counsel Scott Bloch after he leaves in January.


WASHINGTON -- The nation's top protector of whistle-blowers, who himself is being investigated for allegedly retaliating against employees, said Monday that he will resign at the end of his term in January instead of staying on until a replacement can take over.

Under the law, U.S. Special Counsel Scott Bloch could stay for up a year -- until his successor is confirmed by the Senate -- after his term ends Jan. 5. But in a letter to President Bush, Mr. Bloch said he will leave at the end of his five years on the job, much of which has been marked by criticism and calls for his resignation.

"As you well know, doing the right thing can result in much criticism and controversy from every side," Mr. Bloch wrote in his two-page resignation letter.

"I have often been required to be the bearer of bad news but also of good results," he wrote.

The White House confirmed it received Mr. Bloch's letter Monday night.
Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Office of Special Counsel, said Mr. Bloch was not asked to resign.

Critics have termed Mr. Bloch's tenure as special counsel as "bizarre," and lawmakers repeatedly have demanded he step down as head of the federal agency responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistle-blowers are not subjected to reprisals.

Mr. Bloch has been on the hot seat since he took office in 2004, in part for closing hundreds of whistle-blower cases allegedly without investigating them.
Read on.

Update: On Federal Times web site, Bloch made the announcement of resignation in a letter to the president (pdf) yesterday.