Iowan wins settlement in government whistleblower case

A settlement was reached Monday to give an Iowa native back his job this season as a ranger at Yellowstone National Park. 55-year-old Robert Jackson, of Promise City, was considered a whistleblower and lost his job after clashes with his superiors. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he went to bat for Jackson and is delighted with the result.Grassley says whistleblowers ought to be considered patriotic Americans instead of skunks at a picnic. With 30 years experience in the back-country, Jackson took action against illegal poachers who put both grizzly bears and humans at risk, and was later denied employment at Yellowstone. Grassley says Jackson, who’s an expert on bison, has “been through the wringer” for speaking the truth. Grassley says he’s one guy that just wanted to do his job and the higher ups didn’t like it when he blew the whistle. Grassley says whistleblowers “usually don’t come forward and suffer consequences…unless there’s something very vitally wrong in their organization.”