NLRB Whistleblower’s Attorney Speaks on DOGE, the Shedding of Federal IT Leaders

Nonprofit legal assistance organization Whistleblower Aid has stepped in to represent [Daniel] Berulis and support his disclosure. Andrew Bakaj, the chief legal counsel at Whistleblower Aid, told FedScoop that the organization has since seen more outreach, with people asking questions about the whistleblower disclosure process.

“The worst-case nightmare scenario is that this is beyond NLRB,” Bakaj said. “This is happening in multiple agencies where DOGE has been, and that — whether it was intentional or by accident, sloppiness, etc. — foreign intelligence and our adversaries gained access into our critical infrastructure.”

Bakaj, a former intelligence officer himself, would not comment on Berulis’ current role and only said that his client was assisting in an ongoing investigation into what occurred at the NLRB.

[FEDSCOOP:] We’re seeing a lot of turnover in the CIO role in the federal government. I’m curious if you can talk about the role of the CIO in the kind of access management issues that this whistleblower disclosure talks about — and the risks that might come with just switching people out, especially as we’re facing these concerns about DOGE.

BAKAJ: When we have a high turnover rate and when we have the federal sector losing a lot of people in critical areas, that’s going to potentially be a significant risk for potential intrusions by not just foreign adversaries, but just hackers more broadly. My concern is broader than just the NLRB.

[FEDSCOOP:] What’s the role of the whistleblower disclosure process at a time when many inspectors general seem to be under attack?

BAKAJ: A large swath of federally appointed IGs have been removed. The IG offices still exist, so that means that in many cases, there are acting IGs. Maybe new appointees will be put in place at some point in the future. In some smaller offices, their IGs may not have been removed, but that’s less common. There are offices who have staff and they’re working well, but we also recognize that there is a significant concern now about the independence and integrity of the OIGs.