Public Investigation

Office of Special Counsel chief Scott Bloch certainly isn't afraid of the limelight. He continued his unusually public discussion of his investigation into potential Hatch Act violations both at the General Services Administration and the White House this morning during an appearance on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal." One interesting item of discussion in host Brian Lamb's interview with Bloch concerned Robert Novak's column yesterday in the Washington Post. In it, Novak wrote:

Bloch, a devout Catholic, has been under attack for three years at the independent investigative agency because of his interpretation of statutes covering workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also has been publicly accused of hiring too many Catholics. Clay Johnson, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and another Texan brought to Washington by Bush, joined the attack on Bloch, a Bush appointee. The case became a cause celebre on the right when Bloch was told by a prominent Catholic layman close to Bush that it would be better if he resigned.

Bloch said a lot of "wild stories" had been spread about him by groups opposed to the position he took on sexual orientation discrimination. Asked directly by Lamb if he had been told he should resign, Bloch said, "I don't care to discuss that."