The Office of Special Counsel has filed complaints against three Customs and Border Protection career officials alleging they rigged the hiring process in favor of candidates preferred by Alan Bersin, who was commissioner at the time. (OSC does not allege that Bersin engaged in any wrongdoing.)
OSC alleges that two CBP officials improperly intervened in the hiring process to convert non-career political appointees into career appointments (otherwise known as”burrowing in”).
According to OSC, the prohibited discrimination was based on the appointees’ close affiliation to Obama’s reelection campaign, the administration, and the (politically-appointed) CBP commissioner.
The complaints name a former deputy assistant commissioner of HR management and two other senior HR employees.
“Human resources officials are on the front lines when it comes to upholding our merit system and preventing improper political burrowing into the career civil service,” said special counsel Carolyn Lerner, adding, “They should be the last people violating civil service rules.”
