Commentary

Senior Counsel

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

Trump and the IGs – From Watchdogs to Lapdogs

by Jeff Ruch | March 25, 2025
The role of the Inspector General requires political independence to function properly. That independence is now irretrievably lost ...

May Federal Employees Be Activists?

by Colleen Zimmerman | March 4, 2025
PEER is engaged in precedent-setting work to secure the rights of federal employees to publish and be active in civic organizations on their own time ...

Trump’s Actions Are Undermining Our Response to Bird Flu – That is a Big Cause for Concern

by Tim Whitehouse | February 19, 2025
As scientists warn about the unprecedented nature of bird flu, the Trump administration’s actions are hobbling our ability to respond to it ...

Administration of “Alternative Facts” – No Fact Checkers Welcome

by Jeff Ruch | February 13, 2025
It is often said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not to their own set of facts. That cannot be said of Donald Trump ...

GOP Takes Aim at Scientific Integrity

by Kyla Bennett | January 27, 2025
The bipartisan support of federal scientific integrity policies is imploding, as evidenced by fiery letters from House Oversight Chair James Comer ...

Anonymous Activism and Whistleblowing in the Age of Trump

by Colleen Zimmerman | January 24, 2025
PEER anticipates a flood of requests for our legal services during Trump 2.0. Here's an overview of our approach to anonymous activism and whistleblowing ...