Former Bush Counselor Attempts to Clear Name

The Human Rights Campaign and two gay employees of the Obama administration have been added to a list of defendants in a federal racketeering lawsuit filed by a former official with President George W. Bush's administration who claims he was forced out of his job.

Former special counsel Scott Bloch filed the suit, claiming there was a conspiracy to destroy his reputation and force him out of his job. Bloch served in his position from 2004 to October 2008. He pleaded guilty in April 2010 to contempt of Congress after an FBI investigation led to a raid in his office and house in May 2008, after which he wiped his computer clean of possibly incriminating evidence.

Bloch said his case was fabricated to derail his own investigation of former General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan and former Virginia Republican congressman Tom Davis, the Federal Timesreports. They are named as defendants in the case.

In addition to gay Office of Personnel Management director John Berry, former OPM director Linda Springer, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, and the National Treasury Employees Union, among others, Bloch is suing OPM general counsel Elaine Kaplan.

According to the Washington Blade, after serving as U.S. special counsel for the Clinton administration, Kaplan later criticized Bloch for removing several LGBT-supportive policies that she put in place for the special counsel's office.

Bloch was sentenced in March to one month in prison and a year on probation. He is suing for $202 million in damages.