Posted on 06/16/2009 7:38:01 PM PDT by Steelfish
June 17, 2009
The White House Fires a Watchdog The curious case of the inspector general and a Presidential ally.
President Obama swept to office on the promise of a new kind of politics, but then how do you explain last week's dismissal of federal Inspector General Gerald Walpin for the crime of trying to protect taxpayer dollars? This is a case that smells of political favoritism and Chicago rules.
A George W. Bush appointee, Mr. Walpin has since 2007 been the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that oversees such subsidized volunteer programs as AmeriCorps.
In April 2008 the Corporation asked Mr. Walpin to investigate reports of irregularities at St. HOPE, a California nonprofit run by former NBA star and Obama supporter Kevin Johnson.
St. HOPE had received an $850,000 AmeriCorps grant, which was supposed to go for three purposes: tutoring for Sacramento-area students; the redevelopment of several buildings; and theater and art programs.
Gerald Walpin, Inspector General of the Corporation For National and Community Service, was fired by President Barack Obama.
Mr. Walpin's investigators discovered that the money had been used instead to pad staff salaries, meddle politically in a school-board election, and have AmeriCorps members perform personal services for Mr. Johnson, including washing his car.
At the end of May, Mr. Walpin's office recommended that Mr. Johnson, an assistant and St. HOPE itself be "suspended" from receiving federal funds.
The Corporation's official charged with suspensions agreed, and in September the suspension letters went out. Mr. Walpin's office also sent a civil and/or criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Wall St Journal. That’s mainstream.
Wonder why ABC CBS NBC PBS etc won’t report it.
And ABC CBS NBC PBS etc wonder why they continue to hemorrhage voters.
Sheesh.
This really ought to have legs. Already.
But that would presume that real journalists existed.
Instead our “news” outlets are manned by agenda-driven Bambi toadys.
I guess Mr. Walpin can be thankful that he still has his kneecaps and all of his bones are still intact. Chicago style politics can get pretty damn ugly.
**But that would presume that real journalists existed.**
Isn’t this at LEAST equal to NIXON trying to fire the Watergate Special Prosecutor??
It does have the same SMELL TEST... fails.
>> Isn’t this at LEAST equal to NIXON trying to fire the Watergate Special Prosecutor??
Maybe. I’m not familiar with Nixon’s attempt.
But what does that hsve to do with a) the fact that Bambi is wrong, and b) the fact that our journalists are not really journalists, but instead are in the tank for Bambi?
God Obama thinks he can get away with anything … and he may, after all, who is challenging him? NOBODY!!!!
Knew what?
Corruption, plain and simple.
They will protect themselves by protecting their own.
It should be obvious to anybody with half a brain that Obama could not care less about laws, whether he sponsored them or not. He’s a fascist plain and simple.
Hussein don’t care. He’s moving to Saudi Arabia when the jig is up. Sooner would be better, of course.
I think we have Travelgate 2, Michelle’s fingerprints are all over this. Were you aware her “office” is in charge of implementing the new National Community Service law?
I had heard something of that... but not the details.
What’s surprising to me is just how contra-Constitutional the country is being run (see: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv698tm_22dr6x3nfb AND http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv698tm_25c7b35cc9 ).
Something, I daresay, is not right; it is VERY wrong.
BTTT
Hmmm. When the WSJ reports on something like this, somebody is going to hear about it. I really hope this has legs!
Now obama is calling Walipin confused and disorientated. Don't think so. Have seen a couple of interviews with Walpin and he is very sharp AND I think somewhat PO’ed.
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