A former Bush administration Department of Justice official pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal contempt of Congress.
Scott Bloch (gov)
Scott Bloch was the head of the DOJ’s Task Force for Faith-based and Community Initiatives. He later headed U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an agency that protects federal government whistleblowers and gives advice related to the Hatch Act, which regulates the political activities of federal employees.
According to the Department of Justice, Bloch withheld information from the House Oversight Committee, which was conducting an investigation into whether Bloch had directed the deletion of e-mails and files on agency computers. Bloch allegedly hired a computer repair service, Geeks on Call, to scrub the computers of files. His office and home were raided in May 2008 as part of an investigation.
Bloch faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of $100,000, but his likely sentencing range is zero to six months in jail under the federal sentencing guidelines, according to the Justice Department. His sentencing is scheduled for July 20.
As head of OSC, Bloch ordered all references to protections for federal employees in regards to their sexual orientation removed from materials and said his office lacked the authority to enforce the statute.
Bloch was removed from his post and banned from federal offices after a meeting with White House officials in October 2008.
