Some State Dept. employees retaining lawyers amid career concerns: report
Max Greenwood, The Hill, Jan. 26, 2018
Several State Department employees are retaining lawyers amid concerns that their careers are now being stalled because of past work on policies and initiatives championed by former President Obama.
According to a Friday CNN report, frustration is growing among some at the department, who returned to Foggy Bottom from high-level assignments only to be put on low-level jobs such as responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
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Exclusive: Lawmakers want answers after State Department employees claim 'political retribution'
Elise Labott, CNN, Jan. 27, 2018
Key Democratic lawmakers are calling on the State Department's watchdog to conduct an "immediate review" of personnel practices after a number of employees told CNN they were unlawfully targeted for political reasons due to their work under the last administration.
The employees had been reassigned from their areas of expertise to help clear the backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests, which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has designated as a priority. The employees regarded the move as retaliation.
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