Washington, D.C. August 26, 2009. Yesterday the National Whistleblowers Center released the video of the August 8th deposition of national security whistleblower Sibel Edmonds. Ms. Edmonds testified before the Ohio Elections Commission in response to a subpoena in the Schmidt v. Krikorian case. Despite efforts by both the Department of Justice and the FBI to prevent her deposition, Ms. Edmonds was allowed to testify freely. (View Video Deposition)
Ms. Edmonds was a former FBI translator who was illegally fired from the FBI after making protected disclosures. An independent investigation by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General confirmed the serious misconduct committed by the FBI and the illegality of her termination. On or about October 18, 2002 the previous administration invoked the state secrets privilege in order to have Ms. Edmonds’s whistleblower/First Amendment claims dismissed and to protect the government from embarrassment.
Michael D. Kohn, counsel for Ms. Edmonds and NWC President, released the following statement on Ms. Edmonds’ testimony: “Ms. Edmonds exemplifies why national security employees need strong whistleblower protection.” And that “it is troubling when the government improperly hides behind ‘national security’ as it did in the case of Ms. Edmonds simply to conceal embarrassment and the truth from the American public.”
Mr. Kohn added “We are pleased that Ms. Edmonds was finally able to tell her story, but many other national security whistleblowers are still forced to remain silence. Congress can address the abuse by passing H.R. 1507, which provides court access and jury trials for national security employees.” You can watch the video of the deposition (available in 2 parts) and read the full transcript by clicking here.
