Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Ex-Benghazi committee investigator says Gowdy violated federal law

Rep. Trey Gowdy may be able to do whatever he wants on the GOP's special Benghazi committee with impunity, but the law actually comes into play when he's dealing with a former employee. Former Benghazi committee investigator Todd Podliska's lawyers said Monday that Gowdy had run afoul of confidentiality rules and federal law when he called Podliska a "lousy employee" and disclosed details of his employment. Over the weekend, Podliska accused Gowdy of running a "partisan investigation" targeting Hillary Clinton. Ari Melber reports:

“Both Representative Gowdy and the committee have clearly violated terms of the confidentiality agreement and the Congressional Accountability Act,” said Peter Romer-Friedman, one of Podlska’s attorneys, to MSNBC on Monday afternoon. They allege the South Carolina Republican and the committee released confidential information regarding Podliska’s mediation in the employment dispute. [...]

Gowdy has categorically denied Podliska’s allegations that he was fired from the committee in part because he resisted its effort to target Hillary Clinton, and asserted that Podliska was actually terminated for his own errors on the job, including the mishandling of classified information.

In another new charge, Podliska argues that Gowdy falsely claimed the two had never met. Podliska says they met on two occasions during committee work.

“His view is that Chairman Gowdy’s statement that they never met is false, because at least two times they were in a room together where he briefed Chairman Gowdy,” said Romer-Friedman.

Um, that's pretty problematic. Podliska's lawyers are reportedly issuing Gowdy "a formal cease-and-desist letter" to keep him from disclosing more confidential details of Podliska's separation from the committee.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/12/1431284/-Ex-Benghazi-committee-investigator-says-Gowdy-violated-federal-law