CREW RELEASES NEW STUDY - Those Who Dared: 30 Officials Who Stood Up for Our Country

16 Jul 2008 // Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has released its newest study, Those Who Dared: 30 Officials Who Stood Up for Our Country, recognizing the brave individuals who have acted and spoken out against unethical and dishonorable conduct in the Bush administration.

The actions of those named in the report are as varied as the people themselves and cut across the federal government. Some, like Glenn Fine at the Department of Justice and John Higgins at the Department of Education, are inspectors general who have been the only check on agency-wide corruption, misconduct and undue political influence. Others are included for a single act of courage, such as Army Specialist Joseph Darby who turned over to authorities the now infamous pictures of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, and former Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who rushed to Attorney General Ashcroft’s hospital bedside to prevent top White House officials from pressuring the Attorney General to approve an illegal surveillance program.

In creating the list, CREW reviewed hundreds of news articles, inspector general reports, and congressional reports, and considered the impact of each individual’s actions, the changes they wrought, and the risks they faced.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today “As the Bush administration draws to a close, CREW commends those who stood up against the full weight of the federal government to do the right thing, risking their livelihoods and, in some cases, even their lives. These individuals personify the American values of honesty and integrity.” Sloan continued, “Although some have already been recognized as heroes, others have been vilified for daring to say what no one else would. By publicly recognizing the courage of these people, CREW hopes others will be encouraged to join the fight against government misconduct.”

While CREW has tried to be comprehensive, there may well be inadvertent omissions. CREW will update Those Who Dared on-line as other individuals who exhibited the same level of integrity are identified.

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