This is a disturbing trend in the last few years. The False Claims Act, which is really the cornerstone of the whistleblower protection system, allows a corporate whistleblower to sue a company for defrauding the government. https://twitter.com/dcolapinto/status/1200412783726215168

Because there's a general rule in civil litigation that only the person harmed can bring a lawsuit, Congress got around that by authorizing whistleblowers to file these suits "on the government's behalf," which means that DOJ can step in and take over whenever it wants.

And DOJ does in fact step in and take over sometimes, generally once it realizes that the case is meritorious. Whistleblowers generally welcome government intervention for obvious reasons. You're no longer fighting a David & Goliath battle against a team of white shoe lawyers.

But lately DOJ has been doing something weird. They've been stepping in, taking over, & then moving to dismiss the cases, often over the whistleblower's objections.

And that's not right.