A set of new rules by the State Department which seeks to monitor and restrict federal workers' speech and covers the entire gamut from their congressional testimony to tweets have elicited warnings.
The rules come into effect as Congress probes the Benghazi attack and Hillary Clinton email scandal.
"Boy, does this smell like bad fish. This does seem kind of coincidental that these new rules, after three years, have been issued in the same time frame as the Hillary Clinton [email] situation ... and looking forward to (Benghazi) hearings in October. It looks like they are trying to chill the speech of their employees," said Peter Van Buren, an ex-foreign service officer who was squeezed out of his job in 2012 after he published a book and a personal blog critical of the State Department's Iraq reconstruction efforts, reports FoxNews.
The 19-page revised rules were issued on July 27 and include three major changes that could restrict government workers' speech. They include specific wording about congressional testimony, wait times for review of blog posts and social media like tweets, and additional restrictions on what material can be published in a personal capacity by either current or former employees.
"It's an absolute overreach," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, reports Horizon Post.
"Any attempt by an agency to interfere with the testimony of former employees, who often feel free to be more candid about problems in their former agency, would weaken the checks and balances established by our Constitution," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to Fox News.
The State Department maintained the changes are meant to help, not hinder, employees speaking publicly. The revisions "are more protective of employee speech as they establish a higher bar for limiting employees' writing or speaking in their personal capacity, while also recognizing changing technologies in communication, such as social media," said Mark Toner, State Department spokesman, according to News Max.
