Dead Drop: November 15

FOR WHOM THE WHISTLE BLOWS: Say what you will about the State Department, DOD, NSC staff, and Intelligence Community personnel wrapped up in the ongoing Ukraine/impeachment brouhaha on Capitol Hill – one thing few people have considered is the personal cost to those involved. We’re not talking about the cost to their careers – but the financial impact.  NBC News looked into it and posted a lengthy piece which says that those called to testify often run up legal bills that add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Despite the fact that there have been a number of “Go Fund Me” type pages set up for some of these people, NBC says that in some cases, government regulations prohibit officials from accepting the gift of free legal advice. And what about the professional liability insurance that some officials buy for themselves?  Allegedly, that may work if you are accused of wrongdoing yourself – but if you are merely a witness to the possible wrongdoing of others you may be out of luck.

DEPARTMENT OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND DESTABILIZATION: With all the attention on impeachment and stuff, you may have missed a remarkable story from NBC News regarding Mina Chang, the deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stability Operations. We admit we had never heard of Ms. Chang (or her Bureau) but according to her resume she is a remarkable person.  Unfortunately, NBC says her resume appears to be somewhat inflated. She claims to be an “alumna” of Harvard Business School but may have only attended a seven-week course there.  Her bio on the State Department website says she is a “graduate” of a program at the Army War College – but may have only attended a four-day seminar there. Then there are the claims that she addressed the Democrat and Republican National Conventions – which reportedly comes as news to those organizations, and she has publicly talked about a Time Magazine with her on the cover – which also, according to Time, is bogus.  A charity she once led has come to her defense stating that her “resume, profiles, and statements have been reviewed by 4 separate bodies, including the FBI and State Department Investigators.  Each body has verified each and every one of her stated achievements.”  If that is true – the FBI may have more problems than we thought.