Homeland Security official has Hamilton "PhD"

Yes, with one difference. In the private sector you can be fired and possibly prosecuted. In the public sector the offense is swept under the rug and the perpetrator is moved to another department.

 

Nah, she's toast. It's too high profile a case for them to sweep such unethical behavior under the rug. And when you have both Dems and Reps asking for this to be looked at, she may as well walk away now (and that would be my recommendation, if she were to ask!). The longer this is in the news, the harder it will be for someone to hire her in a few months or a year.



Tom Nixon

 

Hi Roy,

I don't know for sure because I don't work for the Govt, but I would think this to be so high profile that they would have to fire her. I do not pretend to know how the government runs their affairs, but in this age of accountability one would think they don't sweep things under the old rug anymore.

What stops the business and private sector from doing the same?

It is just a sickening affair.

Thanks

 

Another update: Davis: Labor knew about Callahan’s degrees

 

I don't know about the point of the first poster, but I would not make that assumption.

She got in at a time when IT was very scarce - and she joined the govt with an AAS at a time when the pay comparison was terrible. She was involved in IT-related FUBARs.

 

With the new laws in North Dakota, future job prospects for Callahan are diminishing.

John

 

This happens also in the private sector. The difference between government and the private sector can be:
(1) In the private sector it effects the bottom line (profit)
(2) In government it effects you (the tax payer) - the government doesn't have to show a profit at the end of the year.
(3) In the private sector you can lose your job if you screw up.
(4) In government your name is protected and your job is relocated to another department. The people who hired you (usually a political appointment) have as much to lose as you do. So.........sweep the event under the rug and no body gets the blame. (I've witnessed this many times)

 

Callahan should resign. I don't think what she did was criminal, but it was fraudulent behavior. How can someone represent themselves as having college degrees when she bought them from a degree mill? And how can that be rationalized? Finally, how can she hold a position of trust, where her judgments need to be taken at face value, and can have an impact on others' careers, not to mention national security?

She's a liar and has to go.

 

I totally agree with you Rich. However, not everyone has had my experiences in government. Many at the top of the ladder are just as guilty as those who falsified their credentials. Some public servants get high paying positions because they know someone at the top. They throw a few degrees on their resume to give the public a sense that these bureaucrats are competent. And so you have one example..........Laura Callahan.
regards,

 

OPM calls for more scrutiny of employees’ credentials

 

Just curious.

Why is it taking so long for someone to make a decision on how to deal with Callahan? One would think this isn't that complicated. She lied hence she is removed from employment.
Am I missing something here?

 

.......because you would have to also fire Callahan's boss and anyone else that she reports to. If you hire someone knowing that their credentials are questionable, that makes you incompetent too. It takes to to cover ones tracks......

 

(I was in too much of a hurry to complete the last sentence)

It has taken this long to fire her because her boss is devising a way to cover his/her ass.

 

Amazing

I believe the longer it takes, the worse it looks to the public. This issue should have been responded to immediately. If the government can't deal with this, how the heck are they dealing with other issues?

Thanks for the info Roy.

Mike

 

I don't think they've determined just what regulation has been violated. Nothing I've read has cited any law or regulation as having been violated.

 

I suspect they are playing for time. If it drags on long enough the public, what few even care, will find more juicy things to inquire about. She may well be moved to a nice quiet little haven, and be allowed to draw sizeable remuneration for doing very little. Other disgraced government officials have found themselves in an office with no real functions to perform, but the checks keep coming, sometimes for years. She knows much about many, and they know it. None wish her speaking out, airing their own little missteps.

 

Collins queries Labor about Callahan

OPM Prods Agencies for Reports Related to Background Checks

 

Good job, Collins.

Now if we could just get the New York Times and the Washington Post to pick this up...


Roscoe

 

From the Washington Post article that oxpecker referred to:

"Yesterday, James announced that OPM will sponsor two seminars in August on how to spot bogus degrees and assess credentials."

-----------------------------------------

The seminars will consist of a 3-hour presentation by Allen Ezell (who founded the FBI's DipScam team) and yours truly, followed by one hour of advice from OPM officials.

We are scheduled to do this twice, on August 12 and 13. Attendance is limited to 200 per session. And we are told that interest is running so high, they are talking about a 3rd and possibly a 4th session.

Yes, of course I will be telling them to check things out at DegreeInfo (as well as other sources) if they have any doubts about accepting or paying for a given degree.

 

I believe tomorrow's papers will report (if they choose to report anything) that Doctor Callahan has been relieved of her duties.