Trump administration

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.

Trillion Dollar Return on Public Lands – Harvesting Hot Air

by Jeff Ruch | July 2, 2025
The Burgum-backed plans for Department of Interior lands promote a frenzy of extraction, overuse, and hasty disposal ...

This Has Got to Be Trump’s Worst Nominee

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

Trump’s Scientific “Gold Standard” Sets Absurdly Low Bar

by PEER | June 25, 2025
Political Control of Science Cemented in New Scientific Integrity Guidance ...

Whistleblowing Surges as Avenues for Relief Dwindle

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

Trump’s Attack on Science Will Leave Us All Sicker

by Tim Whitehouse | June 23, 2025
The Trump administration’s evisceration of the federal agencies that protect our health and environment is a full-throttled attack on science that will set our nation back for years, if not decades to come ...