Whistleblower fired for revealing cops threatened Obama while protecting him

[IDemo]

A Richmond police officer who reported fellow cops for allegedly threatening President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama has been fired from his job on the force.

WTVR on Wednesday confirmed that the officer, who did not wish to be named, had been called to police headquarters where he was terminated on Tuesday.

The officer blew the whistle on a 20-year department veteran and other members of the Richmond force after they made inappropriate comments while providing protection to the president and first lady.

“There was an officer providing exterior security to the president on that day on the phone with the supervisor,” the whistleblower explained to WTVR last May. “The supervisor said to that particular officer, ‘you’re down there right? So, you can take a couple of shots, you might have to kill yourself, but you can take a couple of shots.’”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/21/whistleblower-fired-for-revealing-cops-threatened-obama-while-protecting-him/

[Berlum]

1. The soul-sick 'values' of Republican operatives

I'd bet a pound of macadamia nuts that the soul-twisted twerp who fired the whistleblower was a Republican.

[loli phabay]

2. he shouldnt have been fired. but dark humour and sometimes bad humour is stock and trade in many

Jobs. Over the years ive heard lots of head shaking stuff said in jest but unless this was a supervisor ordering it rather than him being a jackass i wouldnt sweat it.

[Purveyor]

4. A civilian would mostly likely 'do time' if they had made such remarks. The man that made mention

of a 'burning-Bush' in regards bush jr. went to prison for his comments years ago.

[IDemo]

5. Problem with that is,

This wasn't in the transmission shop or construction site. The employees here are sworn to protect the public, and by default should not be making such comments. If they heard anyone speaking like this even in jest out on the street, it would likely result in gaining their attention.

[NYC Liberal]

6. People get charged with a federal crime for that shit

And this was a police offcer?

Damn right he should have been fired. Joking about murdering the person you are supposed to be protecting -- whoever it is -- is not "dark humor"

[AtheistCrusader]

9. They didn't fire the guy that made the comment.

They fired the guy that reported it.

[siligut]

15. Looks like they all got the axe

The two that made the comments and the one that reported and did an interview on them.

Although a Secret Service investigation last year concluded that the officers had not violated the law with their comments about the president and first lady, two officers were fired and now want their jobs back.

“Unfortunately, the termination of the self-proclaimed ‘whistleblower’ does nothing to remedy the fact that his false allegations resulted in the termination of two officers,” James Towey, an attorney for the officers told WTVR in a statement. “Their careers were ended and they have gone through eight months of hell.”


Raw Story (http://s.tt/1A4eI)

Attorney James Towey sounds like as much of an idiot as his clients.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Second time I've seen a police whistleblower accused of fabrication in a month.

I don't buy it. Giving the whistleblower the benefit of the doubt.

[siligut]

18. Yes. And Atty Towey uses faulty logic

It wasn't illegal . . . maybe in this crazy RW system it isn't illegal to make comments about assassinating the president you are assigned to protect?

But they did say it.

[Ikonoklast]

10. Are all gunners gentle apologists for authoritarians?

You 'wouldn't sweat' an offhand comment made by a LEO about attempting assasination?

Wow.


We speak in jest that which we believe in our very soul.

[Populist_Prole]

12. Yeah I wonder too. They don't see the irony

Of course cons don't really do irony, but all it takes is to think it through: Why is it that the staunchest loudest gun fans, ones who scream about protecting their liberty with them, are also the biggest law & order, lock 'em up and throw away the key, pro-authority types? They're also the ones most likely to want to make the military bigger and more powerful....ya' know, the ones they'll defend tyranny against/

WTF?

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Not me.

If the allegation was true (and I assume it is despite the lawyer's protests) I want them sacked, as the review board did.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. it was a Supervisor suggesting the idea to a cop at the location

The whistleblower heard the conversation between the two.

Supervisor said, "So you're there? You can take a couple shots. ..you might have to kill yourself, but you can take a couple shots"....jeezus H christ, that doesn't sound like very jokey kind of phrasing.

A Commanding officer does not make jokes like that....a CO who thought that was humor--about their sworn duty to protect the President of the United States!!!--deserves a visit from SS and a new job cleaning dumpsters. With his tongue.

[treestar]

7. And the cop that said that shit is still on the force?

Appalling.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. That sounds like a good plan *cough*Dorner*cough*

Not that it justifies what that guy did, but every time I hear of this sort of retaliation, it raises, at the least, what he *claimed* was his motive.

Speaking of, I wonder how the FBI investigation is going...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. I hope the whistleblower is in touch with Secret Service, FBI....

So this happened back in MAY? What's been happening since then? This needs to be followed up on, monitored, that police department needs to be investigated, should have been since the day it happened.

I hope anyone saying this is no big deal merely misread the OP

And I hope the whistleblower gets a new, better job with decent people.

[Cha]

19. That's my hope, too, Blanche, that the whistleblower

gets a better job and as you say "with decent people"!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

20. I wonder where it stands now?

[Cha]

21. I don't know but I saw this at politicusUSA

The thing is, employees in employ at will states still have rights under the U.S. Constitution.

As Thomas Roberts (an employment attorney who is not involved in the case) points out, this officer’s dismissal was a violation of his First amendment rights.

”It concerns me and it should concern others, if he was retaliated based upon his right to express his concern on this public matter as well as his opinion.”

http://www.politicususa.com/whistleblowing-cop-fired-exposing-alleged-plot-kill-president.html

[valerief]

14. Maybe Prez O will hire him. nt