Her term in office expired, and a reappointment from President Bush not forthcoming, the head of the Office of Special Council---the federal agency that protects government whistle-blowers (see WIT for May 6, 2003)---yesterday tendered her resignation effective June 2. Appointed in May 1998 by former-president Bill Clinton, Ms. Elaine D. Kaplan has been widely credited with restoring legitimacy to an agency that had been panned for failing to adequately protect the whistle-blowers from retaliation. Democratic lawmakers, union leaders, and accountability advocates had written to the Bush administration and top Republicans asking that the former deputy general council of the National Treasury Employees Union be reappointed, but apparently to no avail.
See "Head of Office of Special Counsel Sends Bush Her Resignation", STEPHEN BARR, The Washington Post, May 12, 2003