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OSC

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.

COMMENTARY | Idiocracy: Loyalty Displaces Competence in Trump World

by Jeff Ruch | August 1, 2025
In his second term, Trump has assembled perhaps the least distinguished Cabinet in modern history, abandoning any pretense of picking people based upon competence ...

Trump Blinks on Loyalty Oath Essays for Job Applicants

by PEER | July 2, 2025
Essays on Advancing Trump Agenda Will Not Be Mandatory or “Scored ...

This Has Got to Be Trump’s Worst Nominee

by PEER | July 1, 2025
Special Counsel Nominee Is Nutty Sycophant Who Hates Civil Servants ...

Whistleblowing Surges as Avenues for Relief Dwindle

by PEER | June 24, 2025
Agencies for Protecting Whistleblowers are Decapitated and Downsizing ...

Trump Political Litmus Test for New Hires Is Illegal

by PEER | June 11, 2025
Mandatory Essay Asks Applicants How They Will Advance Trump Agenda ...