[JURIST] Agents from the White House Office of Personnel Management and the FBI Tuesday searched the home and office of US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) [official website] head Scott J. Bloch [official profile] as part of an investigation into a 2005 complaint filed by current and former OSC employees. The complaint alleged that Bloch had intimidated or forcibly transferred employees who disagreed with his policies, including the halting of investigations into complaints by federal employees of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation [JURIST report]. Federal agents Tuesday were reportedly investigating claims that Bloch had destroyed evidence that might have supported the allegations. AP has more.

Bloch has denied the accusations, but said that the OSC is cooperating with the investigation. Bloch's tenure has been marked by tension; in January, he accused [JURIST report] the Department of Justice (DOJ) of impeding an investigation into the "politicization" of the DOJ under former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile; JURIST news archive] during the 2006 US Attorney firings [JURIST news archive].