Private E-Mail, Made Public, Trips Up Special Counsel at Hearing

Those darn e-mails will bite you every time.

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) yesterday surprised Scott J. Bloch, a presidential appointee who heads the Office of Special Counsel, by reading aloud an e-mail Bloch sent to his friends. One of those friends forwarded it to Davis, probably because Bloch criticizes Davis in it.

Before disclosing the e-mail at a House subcommittee hearing, Davis asked Bloch what he would do if he learned of an agency official sending out news clips and personal commentary about agency business during working hours, even if it was done through a private e-mail account.

The e-mail alludes to testimony by a Bush appointee, Lurita Alexis Doan, who heads the General Services Administration. Bloch's office has sent a report to the White House alleging that Doan violated the Hatch Act when she asked other political appointees at a campaign briefing how the GSA team could help "our candidates" in the next election.

In the e-mail, Bloch referred his friends to a news account of Doan's testimony at a House hearing. He wrote:

"It is Congressman Tom Davis, who has been acting like Doan's defense counsel, saying reckless things about OSC's report and calling for my resignation. Weird Kabuki theatre, all of this. I am going up for my Reauthorization hearing on July 12, and Davis will either show up as ranking member of the larger committee, or have Cong. Mica do his dirty work of raking me over the coals."

Bloch's forecast was correct -- Davis and Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) showed up.

Davis told Bloch that he wanted all e-mails Bloch has sent on his AOL account since Jan. 26 that mentioned the Hatch Act, Doan, Davis, Mica or any other government official or member of Congress.

"It is not going to happen," Bloch responded. "Let's move on to something real."

But Davis did not budge, asking questions suggesting that he thinks Bloch has shown poor judgment and a lack of professionalism in the Doan case.

Bloch protested that his privacy was being invaded and that the matter was inappropriate for a congressional hearing. At one point, he said, "If you want to exchange personal attacks, perhaps we should go outside." That comment elicited nervous laughter from the audience, leading Bloch to quickly clarify that he wasn't making a threat.

Bloch heads an independent agency whose mission is to protect federal employee rights, but he has been under investigation for the past two years because of allegations that he has run roughshod over his staff and allowed politics to play a role in some of his decisions.

The investigation is in the hands of the inspector general at the Office of Personnel Management, and Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), who chaired yesterday's hearing by the House federal workforce subcommittee, asked Bloch if he was cooperating.

Bloch said he has turned over documents that have been requested. He called the allegations against him "reckless and false and scandalous."

Questions by Davis and others amounted to an attempt to suppress and taint the investigation of Doan, Bloch said. "I will not be intimidated," he said. Davis shot back that the facts will speak for themselves.

Contract for Mail Carriers

The U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that should ease tension over post office efforts to contract out mail delivery on some city and suburban routes.

The agreement, which is subject to ratification by union members, would ban any outsourcing for six months while a management-union committee reviews delivery issues and comes up with a recommendation.

The union, which represents about 222,000 mail carriers, said the contract would provide wage increases of 8.85 percent over five years and cost-of-living adjustments. It would be retroactive to November 2006.

The average salary for letter carriers is $46,455, according to the Postal Service.

Talk Shows

Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, will be the guest on "Inside Government," sponsored by the American Federation of Government Employees, at 10 a.m. today on federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Neil A. G. McPhie, chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, will be the guest on "FEDtalk" at 11 a.m. today on federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Ronald P. Sanders, chief human capital officer for the intelligence community, will be the guest on the "Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. Saturday on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).

Stephen Barr's e-mail address is barrs@washpost.com.