Jane Doe, one of our occasional commentators, sent us her thoughts on the latest OIG report on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and the efforts of Ambassador Victor Ashe to expose waste and mismanagement, to protect rank and file employees, and to improve their working conditions. For this he was punished by the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) executive “staff run amok and gullible, lazy investigators.”

A staff run amok

So, it’s been a while since I’ve chimed in here but you’ve been doing a fabulous job on the whole RFE/RL Steve Korn mess.  Your relentless reports have helped save Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty!  Great job on that.
Now–the OIG report.
 Apparently facts are no longer of any interest to an investigation.  “Perceptions” are all that matters. This report reeks of a staff run amok and  gullible, lazy investigators. All confidence in any OIG investigation has been lost.  The “one governor” has been treated with the utmost disrespect by the staff from the beginning of his selfless service  trying to “fix the BBG”.  The staff has been openly hostile and rude to him–just take a look at the early open meetings when he was still trying to work with them. At least two of the other governors were complicit in allowing the staff to treat a Board member in this way. Those two governors, by the way were openly hostile to others–mostly women.  That  single governor has tried to help fix the “worst place in the government to work”. He has remedied a situation where contractors were required to wait sometimes 6 months to get paid. He was the first to question the Gallup contract.  He was the first to point out the problems with the Deloitte contract.  He was the first to point out the problem with the Board delegating all their duties to the IBB Director as the IBB Director did not report to the Board. He is the only lawyer on the Board and was able to identify issues that were being glossed over by the deputy general counsel or where the “counsel” was obviously lacking.  He has listened to complaints that have festered for years. Mostly, he has been genuinely interested in the mission and helping those responsible for the mission get what they needed. He is a true asset to International Broadcasting as well as a true gentleman!
 Since this was not always what the staff wanted, the witch hunt was launched! The OIG complied.
 The staff would like to remind the Board that the staff will be there long after the Board is gone.
 Just a perception.