Too bad, I kinda liked the guy when he was the star point guard for the Phoenix Suns. He was a class act then.
Posted on 06/18/2009 3:35:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Did the Obama administration rush to close a probe into fraud committed by a political ally before discovering obstruction of justice? The Sacramento Bee reports that a former official at St. HOPE alleges that now-Mayor Kevin Johnson’s emails relating to the fraudulent use of money were deleted from the servers in order to obstruct the investigation that Gerald Walpin conducted:
The FBI’s Sacramento division is investigating a former St. HOPE executive’s allegations of obstruction of justice, Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown confirmed Tuesday.
The news fuels the controversy that has followed Mayor Kevin Johnson since 2008, when his brainchild St. HOPE Academy first was investigated for misuse of public funds.
That investigation appeared to end in April when Brown’s office announced a settlement with Johnson, St. HOPE and former executive director Dana Gonzalez.
The settlement, hotly contested by the office of the inspector general for the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, required the repayment of more than $400,000 in misused grants for AmeriCorps volunteers.
However, Rick Maya, who officially left his position as executive director with St. HOPE last week, alleged in an April resignation letter that a member of the charter schools’ board deleted Johnson’s e-mails during the federal investigation. Those claims, uncovered by a public records request by The Bee, caught the interest of Brown’s office, who asked the FBI’s Sacramento division to look into it.
Gerald Walpin ran afoul of the Obama administration when he balked at the settlement talks, angry that Johnson didn’t have to return all the money he admitted to gaining from the government through fraud — and that he would once again be allowed to manage federal funds at all. He reported on his dissent to Congress, after which the White House attempted to bully him into resigning. When that didn’t work, the White House then announced that Walpin was incompetent and strongly suggested that he was senile as well.
Now, it looks like the White House is the one with a cognitive problem. It seems that they rushed a conclusion to the investigation without checking on the cooperation of the accused or even determining whether they had seen all of the evidence. And when the independent Inspector General tried to make that very point, the White House attacked him instead of the person who defrauded the government and may have obstructed justice on top of it.
Democrats screeched about the politicization of the Department of Justice when Bush asked for the resignations of political appointees who worked completely at his pleasure. They assumed that Bush wanted the US Attorneys out of the way for political reasons. Here we have a White House attacking an IG, authorized by both Congress and the White House and supposedly independent, for objecting to a political payoff for a high-profile Obama supporter. When do we hear that same outrage over politicization of law enforcement?
Update: No matter which way you go on the Walpin case, you have to admire the man’s huevos grandes:
In the letter, White House Special Counsel Norman Eisen wrote that Walpin was “confused” and “disoriented” at a May board meeting, was “unduly disruptive,” and exhibited a “lack of candor” in providing information to decision makers.
“That’s a total lie,” Walpin said of the latter charge. And he said the accusation that he was dazed and confused at one meeting out of many was not only false, but poor rationale for his ouster.
“It appears to suggest that I was removed because I was disabled — based on one occasion out of hundreds,” he said.
“I would never say President Obama doesn’t have the capacity to continue to serve because of his (statement) that there are 56 states,” Walpin said, adding that the same holds for Vice President Biden and his “many express confusions that have been highlighted by the media.” Obama mistakenly said once on the campaign trail that he had traveled to 57 states.
Come on, Inspector Walpin. Can’t a man just eat his waffle?
Gerald Walpin, thank you for staying with your principles and thank you for what you are doing for our country.
Sexual assault and harassment allegations
During the summer of 1995, a 16 year old girl alleged that Johnson had fondled her. Johnson apologized to the girl when confronted by her with that accusation during a phone conversation recorded by Phoenix police though he also stated that “what you’re saying happened, I’m not entirely agreeing happened.”[21] The Sacramento Bee stated that they had received a copy of a proposed settlement agreement, under which Johnson would have paid the girl’s family $230,000.[22] After conducting an investigation, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute, on the grounds that there was not a reasonable likelihood of conviction.[23]
High School investigation
On April 16, 2008, rival mayoral candidate Leonard Padilla distributed a 2007 report of similar allegations made against Johnson at St. HOPE Sacramento High School. The allegations were investigated by local police, but no charges were filed, and the alleged victim recanted her story.[24][25] On April 29, 2008, a group of female civic leaders including former Sacramento Mayor Ann Rudin, Sacramento Municipal Utility District board member Genevieve Shiroma, and former State Senator Deborah Ortiz demanded the release of the police report on the matter.[26] The teacher to whom the student initially brought the complaint subsequently resigned over the incident, claiming, “St. HOPE sought to intimidate the student through an illegal interrogation and even had the audacity to ask me to change my story.”[27] Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel responded, saying “”I think the allegations at the school were handled in the way that you would want them handled. Immediately they followed all the normal protocols that they were supposed to follow. I think it was pretty clear there was nothing there... We did ask the young lady whether anyone had influenced her – her answer was no.”[25] The Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said on May 30, 2008, that Johnson’s actions, though ill-advised, were not illegal.[28]
Favorite paragraphs from article: (what do we know about RIck Maya?)
However, Rick Maya, who officially left his position as executive director with St. HOPE last week, alleged in an April resignation letter that a member of the charter schools’ board deleted Johnson’s e-mails during the federal investigation. Those claims, uncovered by a public records request by The Bee, caught the interest of Brown’s office, who asked the FBI’s Sacramento division to look into it.
Gerald Walpin ran afoul of the Obama administration when he balked at the settlement talks, angry that Johnson didn’t have to return all the money he admitted to gaining from the government through fraud — and that he would once again be allowed to manage federal funds at all. He reported on his dissent to Congress, after which the White House attempted to bully him into resigning. When that didn’t work, the White House then announced that Walpin was incompetent and strongly suggested that he was senile as well.
more background here:
DId his path ever cross Michelle’s brother, Craig Robinson?
The Hit Man
White House attacked him instead of the person who defrauded the government and may have obstructed justice on top of it.
Brings back some memorys of clinton and his pals.
Deleted emails and obstruction of justuce-—WoW!!!
They, acorn fraud and black panthers intimidation- deny deny deny...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273962/posts?page=106#106
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/05xy5yD1kc15M/610x.jpg
“(what do we know about RIck Maya?)”
Another thing that should interest us is who is in charge of the Sacramento FBI?
From what I can tell after a brief google, DREW S. PARENTI(the FBI agent in charge until Obama fires him too) is a pretty dedicated agent on the up and up. The left attacked him after the Lodi case in California and also for writing some briefings on the FBI surveillence program...lol. The NYT has even gone after him in the past.
We were discussing the subject on another thread....It was just a ping to the two freepers to your thread....
Interesting a picture of Holder and the mayor together....Hmmmm......WOnder if Holder can eventally be named in the defendant catagory?
“WOnder if Holder can eventally be named in the defendant catagory?”
Interesting background:
“As Deputy Attorney General, Holder, as The Washington Post explained, ‘was the gatekeeper for presidential pardons.’ Indeed, Holder was a key figure entrusted with the task of vetting the Clinton administration’s 176 last-minute pardons in January 2001. The beneficiaries of those pardons included such notables as former Weather Underground members Susan Rosenberg (who was involved in the deadly 1981 armed robbery of a Brink’s armored car) and Linda Evans (who had used false identification to buy firearms, harbored a fugitive, and was in possession of 740 pounds of dynamite at the time of her arrest in 1985).”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2165052/posts
I heard about the possible age discrimination angle. If the Republicans had any spine at all they would use this smear attack on a senior citizen to absolutely bludgeon the Ubama administration, and the Congressional rats as well.
Unfortunately, as we discovered during last year's campaign, the Republicans have no spine whatsoever. They had the opportunity to hammer Ubama for his and his campaign's sneaky attacks on McCain's age and never found the guts to take the issue to seniors.
FIring Walpin is just an example to others who might oppose him....Ever read the book ELEANA...the Greek woman who gave her life to save her children?....It spells out the steps the communist took to overpower Greece....
One of the steps is to make an example of one powerful person, so the others will back off.
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