IEC Journal

Former CIA employee indicted for disclosing classified information

"A former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, was charged today with repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities, Justice Department officials announced."  See the full DOJ press release at: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-ag-083.html.

United Nations Development Programme vacancies

• Director, Ethics Office in New York.  See announcement at http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=27530.  Vancancy closes: Feb. 8, 2012.
• Assistant Resident Representative (Governance) in Vientiane, LAO PDR.  See announcement at http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=27657.  Vacancy closes: Feb. 3, 2012.

• Social Scientist (statistical analysis) for survey data covering more than 100 countries from five continents. The position is based at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. See more information at: http://corruptionresearchnetwork.org/marketplace/resources/research-associate-school-of-government-and-public-policy-1

Potential Ethics Issues for Former Congressman

The New York Times reports that former Representative William D. Delahunt of Massachusetts, who started his own lobbying firm when he left government service last year, will earn $15,000 a month for helping the town of Hull, Mass. develop a wind energy project.  The potential issue arising from the deal is that, while he was in Congress, Mr. Delahunt earmarked $1.7 million for the same energy project.  His lobbying firm will be paid with money he created through Department of Energy grants during his final term in office. 

Documentary Inspires Economist Ethics Rules

The Wall Street Journal reports that the "Inside Job," a documentary about the 2007-2008 financial crisis, provided additional public pressure on economists to implement conflict of interest rules.  The new rules will require economists to disclose financial ties and other potential conflicts of interest in papers published by academic journals.  Because many economists serve as consultants for government, companies and other groups outside of their formal academic work, the argument is that the relationships formed through consulting may have influenced the economists' work, causing them to initially miss the signs of the impending financial crisis and to recommend policy prescriptions that served their clients' interests, at the expense of the economy as a whole. 

February 2nd Meeting

Our February 2nd meeting topic is professional responsibility for Government employees.  Our speaker will be Jack Marshall, the founder and president of ProEthics, Ltd., and the primary writer and editor of the ethics community blog, "Ethics Alarms" (www.ethicsalarms.com).  His articles and essays have appeared in numerous national and regional publications, and he has spoken on leadership and ethics topics before a variety of audiences in both the private and public sectors.  We are pleased to have Mr. Marshall with us for our February meeting, and are certain that, whether litigators or administrative attorneys, we'll all benefit from attending this session.

We will meet at the United States Access Board, 1331 F Street, N.W. (between 13th and 14th Streets, near Metro Center station) from 12:15 - 1:30.  As always, individuals who are on the IEC roster need not pre-register.  Ethics officials who are not on our roster but who wish to attend this meeting can pre-register by contacting Patrick.Carney@fcc.gov not later than Monday, January 30th.  Those who are neither on the roster nor pre-registered can still be admitted by showing a Government ID upon arrival at USAB.

Alleged Conflicts With FDA Drug Approval Panels

A Washington Monthly article discusses perceived problems with FDA drug approval procedures. Here is an excerpt:

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a committee of medical experts to weigh new evidence concerning the potential dangers of drospirenone, a synthetic hormone contained in popular birth control pills including Bayer AG’s Yaz and Yasmin. In a decision that helped ensure the continued presence of these drugs on American pharmacy shelves, the committee concluded by a four-vote margin that the benefits of drugs with drospirenone outweigh the risks. However, an investigation by the Washington Monthly and the British medical journal BMJ has found that at least four members of the committee have either done work for the drugs’ manufacturers or licensees or received research funding from them. The FDA made none of those financial ties public.

...

Bayer spokesperson, Rosemarie Yancosek, said in an e-mailed statement: “Bayer had no input on who serves on the U.S. FDA Advisory Committee panel as the FDA has its own process for selecting panel members. Furthermore, it is Bayer’s understanding that the FDA has a procedure for determining conflicts of interest for potential panel members.” 

The FDA does indeed have such a procedure, but critics argue that its guidelines define conflicts of interest too narrowly and provide too much flexibility in how they are applied. The guidelines are technically “suggested or recommended, but not required” provisions (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM125646.pdf). Whether an advisor can participate depends on “whether the discussion at the meeting or outcomes of the meeting will have a direct and predictable effect on the individual’s interest.” For instance, someone who was previously involved in another role for a manufacturer, or whose university received money from a manufacturer, may be allowed to participate. Even having a contract for $100,000 over a five-year period would not necessarily exclude an advisor, according to the guidelines.

 

 

National Park Service ethics official vacancy (GS-14)

Department Of The Interior, National Park Service, has a vacancy for a GS-14 Deputy Ethics Officer.  Vacancy announcement: NPSWASO-HQ-12-586121.  Closes: January 19, 2012.

See USAJobs hyperlink at: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/306288400.

New York Times Editorial on Ethics and the Supreme Court

The New York Times recently published an editorial regarding ethics and the Supreme Court.

Whistleblower Bill Draws Criticism

An article in Government Executive reports that The Whistleblower Improvement Act of 2011 has passed through a House subcommittee, but is drawing criticism from watchdog groups like POGO, which states that the bill is an extreme approach that would silence would-be whistleblowers and undermine investigations.  The proposed act would require whistleblowers, with some exceptions, to report criminal activity internally in addition to filing a complaint with the SEC.  Supporters of the bill state this additional step will allow companies to stop criminal activity early, lessening the burden on an over-taxed SEC.

Chief Justice Comments on ObamaCare Recusal Controversy

An article in the New American details Chief Justice Roberts' comments, relaying his confidence that his fellow justices will determine an appropriate time to recuse themselves from cases wherein they may have a personal interest.  The article focuses on the ObamaCare matter.