Dissenter Weekly: Trump Vs. US Whistleblower Agency

This edition of "The Dissenter Weekly" was sent to paid subscribers on February 21.

For this edition of "The Dissenter Weekly," host Kevin Gosztola outlines the battle that President Donald Trump is waging over the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

Trump fired OSC chief Hampton Dellinger, and Dellinger sued. A United States district court and appeals court temporarily allowed Dellinger to return to the position while the matter was litigated. But this past week Trump turned to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a temporary restraining order and broaden the executive power that he has to fire officials.

The OSC is a federal whistleblower agency, and much of what it does unfolds under the radar. So in addition to the legal battle, Kevin highlights some recent examples of whistleblowing that the OSC has substantiated through their work and why the agency is worth preserving during Trump's second term.

Headlines for the week include an extraordinary instance of press censorship in Mississippi and Elon Musk saying "60 Minutes" staff should go to prison.

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Note: Kevin didn't cover the CIA winning dismissal of a lawsuit against the agency for spying on Assange visitors because he wrote about it. Here's his story in case you missed it.