Robert Mac Lean - Termination For Whistleblower Disclosure

Termination For Whistleblower Disclosure

On August 31, 2006, over a year after proposing to terminate FAM Robert MacLean, and more than three years after MacLean disclosure forced TSA to rescind their plan, the TSA retroactively marked his July 2003 disclosure as being Sensitive Security Information (SSI), an unclassified information category. On August 30, 2006, TSA retroactively marked MacLean's disclosure more than 6 months after he was fired on April 11, 2006. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a scathing report criticizing TSA for failing to have clear policies and oversight of its SSI designations, and using vague standards for its use. If TSA succeeds in retroactively marking whistleblower disclosures, these pseudo-classification markings will be abused to further retaliate against future whistleblowers, possibly decreasing the flow of critical information to the public.

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney asked DHS's and TSA's chief attorneys "to complete a full review" of MacLean's termination and provide her office with their findings.

While FAM Robert MacLean waits almost three years for the United States Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to review his termination, other air marshals who have committed serious crimes have gone with little or no punishment with the appearance of TSA executive and local law enforcement cover-up.