Look who is up for a promotion: Rear Adm. Brian Losey. He's the gentleman who went on an illegal witch hunt to find the whistleblower who anonymously reported Losey for a minor travel-policy infraction. The Washington Post reports that Losey "wrongly fired, demoted or punished" his subordinates "during a fruitless hunt."
The Defense Department's inspector general investigated Losey five times and Pentagon investigators "determined that he illegally retaliated against staff members," reports The Post. The inspector general interviewed more than 100 people and reviewed 300,000 emails, and urged the Navy to discipline Losey for violating whistleblower-protection laws. The Navy dismissed the findings and decided to promote Losey instead.
The decision clears the way for Losey to pin on a higher rank as a two-star admiral. He was selected for the promotion in 2011, but it was put on hold for four years as the inquiries unfolded.
Critics say the previously undisclosed investigations into one of the Navy's top SEALs underscore the weakness of the military's whistleblower-protection law and how rarely violators are punished.
