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Two prominent senators asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this week to ensure whistleblower protection for military and contractor personnel who provide information related to the investigations of Iraqi prisoner abuses.

Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the investigation into the abuse of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison was initiated by tips from two whistleblowers.

"As the investigation into Abu Ghraib continues, it is important that members of the armed services and others working in Iraq know that they can come forward with information about possible misconduct without placing their positions in peril or being adversely affected," they wrote to Rumsfeld on May 11. "It is critically important, therefore, that the Department of Defense send a strong message to encourage witnesses to speak out and to ensure that such persons are not retaliated against or otherwise punished for their resolve."

The senators stressed that the law protects any member of the armed forces who comes forward with information about possible government misconduct to members of Congress or to an inspector general. A similar law protects federal contractors.

"We also seek your personal assurance that the Department of Defense will ensure that no prohibited personnel actions, or otherwise, are taken, directly or indirectly, by any [Defense] employee, civilian or military, against any possible witness in this matter of national and international import," the two wrote.

The National Whisteblower Center wrote Rumsfeld a similar letter May 6, requesting that Defense officials inform every member of the military and all contractors engaged now or in the future in Iraq and Afghanistan of their right to "blow the whistle" on any misconduct.

A Pentagon spokesman said Thursday the Uniform Code of Military Justice guarantees protections and requires personnel to come forward if they witness improper actions.

"If I witness wrongdoing and I don't report it and it's uncovered later, then I am just as guilty as the perpetrator," said the spokesman, who asked to remain anonymous.

According to the spokesman, personnel who have witnessed improper actions or have information related to the prison abuses should report it through their chain of command. He added that investigators for the prison abuses are conducting interviews and making it known that they should be contacted with information.

Bon Appétit

Federal employees can eat wherever they like while traveling for work, but not necessarily on the government's dime, the Board of Contract Appeals ruled recently.

When Victoria Davis, an Interior Department employee in Atlanta, arrived in Arlington, Va., for a temporary duty assignment, she discovered she wasn't happy with the local restaurant selection. So she took taxis and public transportation to restaurants she found more appealing than those within walking distance.

Davis eventually racked up $70 in related transportation expenses. Later, she asked Interior to reimburse her for her dining excursions, claiming she could only find fast food or ethnic restaurants near her work, "neither of which provided her normal diet."

Interior officials denied Davis's request. She challenged that decision, but the Board of Contract Appeals sided with the department. Under the Federal Travel Regulation, agencies need reimburse employees for local transportation to restaurants only when they attach documentation to their travel voucher proving they had no nearby dining choices.

Davis included documentation with her travel voucher, but her explanation didn't hold up, the Board of Contract Appeals decided. Her statement merely showed "she preferred to eat elsewhere," the board ruled.

Victoria Davis v. Department of the Interior, General Services Administration Board of Contract Appeals (16331-TRAV), April 27, 2004

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