Whistleblowers Treated Like Terrorists

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"One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted. Or worse," reports Deborah Hastings. For reporting illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance and a colleague say they were subjected to physical and mental interrogation tactics "reserved for terrorists and so-called enemy combatants." At least $8.8 billion of the $30 billion allocated by Congress for reconstruction in Iraq has disappeared according to a government audit (with some of it going to insurgents). Nevertheless, whistleblowers who call attention to fraud are being "destroyed," according to William Weaver, an advisor to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. "Sometimes people ask me, 'Should I do this?' And my answer is no. If they're married, they'll lose their family. They will lose their jobs. They will lose everything," Weaver said. Whistleblowers have been fired or demoted, shunned by colleagues, and denied government support in whistleblower lawsuits filed against contracting firms.