The headline was hard to sort out. Federal agents swarming the office and home of the top Bush official who was supposed to be protecting federal whistle-blowers.

That official, Scott Bloch, was a controversial Bush appointee. Critics had long claimed that he buried whistle-blower complaints and failed to stop illegal partisan politicking — Bush Republican politicking — in the federal workplace.

But last week, the Bush Justice Department was all over him. Why? Therein lies the tale.

This hour, On Point: Behind the blow-up in whistle-blower country, and the case of Scott Bloch.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Ari Shapiro, correspondent for NPR, he reports on the Department of Justice and national legal affairs.

Scott Horton, adjunct professor at Columbia Law School and contributor to Harper’s Magazine, he writes the No Comment blog for Harpers.org.

Avi Kumin, partner at Katz, Marshall and Banks, representing former and current employees of the Office of Special Counsel and watchdog groups who filed the 2005 complaint leading to the Justice Department’s inquiry into Scott Bloch.

Tags: Justice Department, Scott Bloch, whistle-blower