The chief information officer of the Bureau of Land Management was threatened with demotion for coming forward about security weaknesses at her agency.

Four days after providing a declaration that outlined some weaknesses, Ronnie Levine was given a negative job rating for the first time in her career. She nonetheless went to testify in the Cobell v. Norton trial and gave information that could be "very adverse to the Secretary," according to a court motion.

As her time on the stand was wrapping up, Levine was told by a superior that she was going to be transferred. "I didn't have a choice," she testified, according to a recently unsealed transcript.

The transfer has since been taken "off the table for now," Levine later said. But the Cobell plaintiffs say she was a victim of retaliation and want top Interior Department officials sanctioned for their conduct.

Get the Story:
Interior officials accused of covering up IT security flaws (Government Computer News 8/1)
Interior threatens whistle-blower (Federal Computer Week 7/29)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm

Related Stories:
Appeals court stays Lamberth order on notices (7/29)
DOI mum on settlement figure for Cobell v. Norton (7/27)
Cobell apologizes for comments on trust bill (7/27)
Opinion: McCain, Dorgan lowball Indians on trust (7/27)
Cobell calls trust reform bill a win for Interior (7/22)
Cason takes stand in Cobell trust fund hearing (07/20)
Second expert describes hack of Interior Department (05/10)
Hacker tells court how he broke into DOI systems (5/4)
Trust fund hearing dispute causes delay in testimony (5/3)
Lamberth to hold hearing on trust fund security (5/2)
Interior ordered to trial on trust fund security (4/26)
Cobell: Ross Swimmer and the truth rarely mix (4/22)
Trust fund security again an issue in Cobell case (4/21)
Lamberth schedules hearing on computer systems (4/20)
Norton blocking information technology report (4/18)
Appeals court supports Lamberth's authority on IT (12/06)
Lamberth critical of Norton's 'bad faith' on trust fund (10/25)
NCAI 04 Wrapup: Day 2 (10/13)
Interior denies attempt to halt trust fund payments (10/05)
Swimmer: Communication with account holders on hold (10/04)
Bush administration challenges trust fund ruling (09/16)
Appeals court takes on Cobell trust fund case (9/15)
Richardson pushes Norton to protect trust fund (08/16)
Small percentage of Interior's IT systems secure (08/10)
Johnson promises 'meaningful' investigation of OST (06/21)
BIA takes advantage of Internet shutdown (05/11)
DOI's Internet connection shut down for third time (03/16)
BIA shows off information technology facility (3/2)
Anderson touts benefits of Cobell trust fund case (02/25)
Lamberth orders DOI to turn over IT reports (12/12)
DOI fares poorly on computer security report card (12/11)
Judge seeks to break impasse over trust systems (07/29)
BIA incident prompts high-level recommendation (03/27)
Court report blasts McCaleb for destroying records (01/27)
Court: McCaleb 'fabricated' e-mail story (1/24)
BIA aides circumventing court (12/16)
Martin's role in incident surfaces (12/16)
BIA aides e-mail use prompts inquiry (12/17)
McCaleb admits to e-mail 'misunderstanding' (10/23)
Burns takes on BIA problems in stride (08/23)
McCaleb gets new computer official (6/5)
Retaliation charged as BIA official jumps ship (7/25)