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THREAD: In light of today's news regarding Rosenstein limiting the scope of the Mueller probe in 2017, I want to give a more detailed account of my removal from federal service through the lens of the chronology of events leading up to my eventual firing. Buckle up. 1/
As you all know, I launched @muellershewrote at the end of 2017. During that time, I, like many others, were convinced that Rod Rosenstein was a stand-up guy defending the Mueller probe from the trump administration. I would eventually flip on "Snoop DAG" 2/
In April of 2019, I was informed by my supervisor that my job was moving across the country and I had two choices: move or be fired. I had been offered his position the year prior but turned it down saying I was unable to move to DC because I needed to stay close to my mom 3/
They knew I wouldn't move to DC. In fact, I was the WEST region Liaison & I had one counterpart in the EAST region in DC. I took the job BECAUSE it was required to be in the West Region as it was my job to provide VA oversight for the WEST region TRICARE contract with the DoD. 4/
Despite that, my supervisor and his boss few across country, at your expense, to inform me that the WEST region position was moving to the East region. I opted, as expected, to be fired. Now, let's consider what else was going on in April, 2019, shall we? 5/
First, we know Barr was confirmed in February 2019. It was April that the Mueller report came out and Barr wrote a 4-page letter completely mischaracterizing Mueller's findings: a letter Mueller responded to IN WRITING twice. "Going to paper" was a BIG deal for Mueller. 6/
It was also April of 2019 that @muellershewrote won the People's Voice Webby for best news podcast beating WaPo, NYT, Slate, Pod Save the People and Maddow's Bagman. So we had a bit of a spotlight on us. We also had an audience of about 250,000 at the time. 7/
It was also April of 2019 that I. FLIPPED. ON. ROSENSTEIN. From the MSW podcast: "We all know Rosenstein’s job was in danger several times during the Mueller investigation, particularly after the new York times reported that he had suggested wearing a wire..." 8/
"In that meeting, Rosenstein assured the president he was on his team and criticized the times report, blaming it on Andy McCabe instead. He then told trump he would be treated fairly in the Mueller investigation. “I give the investigation credibility. I can land the plane.” 9/
Here's the Washington Post article I was discussing about Rosenstein being a traitor, and remember, this was April of 2019. 10/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/i-can-land-the-plane-how-rosenstein-tried-to-mollify-trump-protect-mueller-and-save-his-job/2019/04/26/f2fd3bf2-65e0-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html
Today, we have learned from the New York Times that Rosenstein actually narrowed the scope of the Mueller probe, preventing him from looking into the counterintel and finances of trump-russia. So what I was saying in April was right. The same month my job moved to DC 11/
By then, I had already interviewed Andy McCabe on @muellershewrote and would join he and his wife for an event in May, a month after I flipped on Rosenstein. A month after the Mueller report came out. A month after we won the Webby. A month after my job moved to DC. 12/
As most of you know, I'm a disabled veteran with PTSD due to Military Sexual Trauma. The news of my job being taken away, the betrayal by the federal government YET AGAIN, sent me into a spin, so I took 12 weeks of leave. Leave I had EARNED over my decade + of work 13/
I returned August 6th to a phone call that I was being investigated. I was denied counsel after asking twice. Incidentally, August 6th is the SAME day we learned about Mick Mulvaney's clever trick to fire liberal federal employees by moving their jobs 14/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/08/05/usda-science-agencies-relocation-may-have-violated-law-inspector-general-report-says/
I then asked for a reasonable accommodation to telework while in San Diego. I didn't think this would be an issue because I was supposed to be in DC. They had told me it was imperative to be in the DC office and that's why they were moving my job. WELL... 15/
They denied my telework request saying it was imperative that I be in the San Diego office. At that point I went on "LWOP", leave without pay, and awaited my firing. I was informed March 25, 2020 that I was being removed for being "medically unfit". 16/
I learned later through an EEO investigation that I had requested that it was the Office of General Counsel that was advising my supervisor, who had the job I was previously offered, to investigate my podcast. The emails saying who directed the OGC were redacted. 17/
I was a GS-14. Dedicated public servant. I did not violate the Hatch Act, but I just happened to be removed the same month the Mueller report came out, I interviewed McCabe, we won the Webby, and I flipped on Rosenstein. Oh, and they just happened to be investigating me? 18/
There is A LOT more to this story, including what I'm doing about it, and I'm working on a book proposal as we speak. I will not be silenced by this administration. Yes, I'm afraid, but as Andy McCabe told me "Keep doing the right thing - for yourself and for the rest of us." 19/
Here is the article from Natasha Bertrand in Politico. I only agreed to tell my story after MSW had wrapped and I was no longer a federal employee because some of us still care about ethics. Thanks for listening, and VOTE #BidenHarris2020! https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/28/veteran-secret-podcast-trump-administrations-crosshairs-342332
PS: former Mueller team member Andrew Weissman is disputing the “Rosenstein never told the FBI” claim in the NYT article. Which makes sense because we all knew there were dozens of FBI agents co-located with Mueller sending weekly counterintel summaries to the bureau.
