J's Cafe Nette

He seems to have liked the idea of Congress being involved in the firing of an Inspector General when he was a Senator, however, now that Mr. Obama inhabits the White House and his friends are being investigated, well it appears to be a different story.

Byron York:

There are a number of unanswered questions today about President Obama’s abrupt decision to fire the inspector general of the AmeriCorps program, Gerald Walpin. Obama sent letters to House and Senate leaders yesterday informing them that he was firing Walpin, effective 30 days from the date of the letters.

“It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General,” the president wrote. “That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General.”

The 30 day requirement is important because last year Congress passed the Inspectors General Reform Act, which was designed to strengthen protections for IGs, who have the responsibility of investigating allegations of waste, fraud and abuse within federal agencies, against interference by political appointees or the White House. Part of the Act was a requirement that the president give Congress 30 days’ notice before dismissing an IG. One of the co-sponsors of the Act was then-Sen. Barack Obama.

The Act also requires the president to outline the cause for his decision to remove an IG. Beyond saying that he did not have the “fullest confidence” in Walpin, Obama gave no reason for his action.

There are two big questions about the president’s actions. One, why did he decide to fire Walpin? And two, did he abide by the law that he himself co-sponsored?

[emphasis-admin]

Haven’t we been through years of harping about investigations into the firing of US Attorneys which is a perfectly legitimate path for any President to take?

If Congress passed a law in regard to the Inspectors General which a President signed and he does an end around on the issue, should that not create a firestorm in the press and public? It would seem each and every person involved in the firing of Mr. Walpin should be hauled in to face a congressional committee and grilled as though they were common criminals.

Here’s a brief summary by Mr. York of exactly what took place in regard to this firing:

Bottom line: The AmeriCorps IG accuses prominent Obama supporter of misusing AmeriCorps grant money. Prominent Obama supporter has to pay back more than $400,000 of that grant money. Obama fires AmeriCorps IG.

Sounds about par for the course.

Much more here where Michelle Obama is mentioned as a possible link to this firing. [HT for the above link to Ace Of Spades.]

Written by Sue

Tweet This Post

Comments are closed.