Fed Lawyer: I was Fired for Blog

A federal attorney said he was fired two weeks after he began writing the blog FAA Lawyer Whistleblower out of frustration when attempts to alert Federal Aviation Administration officials about safety problems were rebuffed.

The Washington Examiner reports David Pardo, 27, a pilot and attorney at FAA, says he was fired in retaliation for refusal "to break the law" in April. According to the Examiner, the incident relates to a May letter sent to Pratt & Whitney from FAA that appears to offer the company tips on how to circumvent FAA safety rules.

In an e-mail to the Project on Government Oversight, Pardo said he "was fired ostensibly for blogging about my experiences in pursuit of the truth, and for disclosing violations of law and abuses by FAA officials at the Office of Chief Counsel."

Pardo, employed at FAA for 11 months, told the Examiner coworkers told him his supervisors said he would be banned from the building because of the blog. The agency told the newspaper that Prado "no longer works for FAA, and we can't comment on personnel matters."

The Examiner says "this is not the first time FAA has been accused of retaliating against employees for speaking publicly about safety issues, covering up incompetent or even criminal behavior, destroying official documents or misleading members of Congress."