Who is confused?
Byron York says that fired AmeriCorps inspector general, 77 year old Gerald Walpin (who denies the White House’s claim that he was “confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions”), didn’t seem too confused when York talked with him:
“The fact that the board doesn’t like what I was doing in order to perform my duties as an IG is not a reason for removing me,” Walpin said. “In fact, the more diligent an IG is in reporting criticisms of the board and the running of the corporation, the more the board doesn’t want the IG there. But that’s exactly why the IG position was created.”
In this case, the board and top management were unhappy with Walpin’s aggressive investigation of the misuse of federal AmeriCorps funds by Sacramento, California mayor — and prominent Obama supporter — Kevin Johnson. The board was also unhappy with Walpin’s probe into the waste of AmeriCorps money at the City University of New York.
Those two investigations were on the agenda of the May 20 meeting. Walpin believed the board and management were not supporting his findings about the Sacramento and CUNY matters, and he let them know it. “There was no confusion in my opening remarks at the meeting, in which I chastised the board for what appeared to be the board’s refusal to perform its duty, independent of management, in overseeing what management was doing, particularly as it regards determining the merits of the two reports I had issued,” Walpin says.
“I started out by chastising the board and telling them their duty was not just to accept what management says, but to make their independent analysis of those reports,” Walpin continues. He says board members were “clearly angry at my temerity in telling them they should not be acting in the manner of many for-profit boards, which have been recently criticized.” Walpin says there was “no confusion whatsoever about our two reports, and our clear findings, which were a major part of the meeting.”
There are now assertions that the Obama administration is clamming up and possibly changing its story on Walpin. We’ll have to wait for further developments. In an interesting footnote to the story, Dan Riehl says there are other IG’s who are being fired or let go for doing their jobs.
June 19th, 2009 at 7:36 am
One of the strengths of the the American system is the relative stifling of corruption in government. Sure, there is still plenty, but it is not pervasive and the press used to keep it from at least being blatant. Corruption can’t really take over as long as there is public disapproval of it and the press makes the case.
This is the major reason why people flood across our border, and why we are so successful, while just a few miles south similar people with resources flounder to survive and live in near anarchy.
I don’t know which is more embarrassing, disheartening, and scary: That this is being attempted by Obama, or that the press is allowing it. It takes both to proceed like this is so far. We have no independent press and that makes corruption inevitable.
The worse damage is always done by those you trust right before you stop trusting them.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I would like you to add a stock ticker to the page please