Walpin Bombshells: Byron York, LA Times Report Sexual Predator, Bribery, Cover-Up Allegations

Friday, November 20, 2009

[kristinn]

Byron York, Washington Examiner:

A congressional investigation of the volunteer organization AmeriCorps contains charges that D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee handled "damage control" after allegations of sexual misconduct against her now fiance, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star and a prominent ally of President Obama, The Washington Examiner has learned.

The charges are contained in a report prepared by Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The investigation began after the AmeriCorps inspector general, Gerald Walpin, received reports that Johnson had misused some of the $800,000 in federal AmeriCorps money provided to St. Hope, a non-profit school that Johnson headed for several years.

Walpin was looking into charges that AmeriCorps-paid volunteers ran personal errands for him, washed his car, and took part in political activities. In the course of investigating those allegations, the congressional report says, Walpin's investigators were told that Johnson had made inappropriate advances toward three young women involved in the St. Hope program -- and that Johnson offered at least one of those young women money to keep quiet.

Johnson's office did not respond to calls for comment Friday morning.

At the time, Rhee was on the board of St. Hope. A former St. Hope employee who reported one of the allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct by Johnson told Walpin's investigators that Rhee "learned of the allegations and played the role of a fixer, doing 'damage control,'" the congressional report says.

Tom Hamburger and Alexander C. Hart, Los Angeles Times:

When Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, was under investigation last year for alleged financial misdeeds and inappropriate behavior with female students, he had an important ally behind the scenes.

Michelle Rhee, the nationally known education reformer who is now head of the Washington, D.C., public schools, had several conversations with a federal inspector general in which she made the case for Johnson and the school he ran in Sacramento, according to the inspector general. Rhee, who had served on the board of the school and is now engaged to marry Johnson, said he was "a good guy."

Rhee's position had little effect on the inspector general, Gerald Walpin, who filed a criminal referral to the U.S. attorney on Johnson, a self-described friend and supporter of President Obama. But both the Sacramento police and federal attorneys declined to pursue charges. Walpin, who protested the prosecutors' handling of the case, was ultimately fired by the Obama White House in June.

Rhee's previously undisclosed role and the Walpin firing are now part of an unfolding drama in which outspoken Republicans contend that the Obama administration has not faithfully adhered to a law designed to protect executive-branch investigators from political interference.

SNIP

The final four pages of the criminal referral discussed three instances of alleged inappropriate actions by Johnson involving a minor, who had reported she was fondled, and two young volunteers, who reported that Johnson went to their apartment and climbed into bed with one of them. The criminal referral notes that the two educators who reported the allegations left the charter school upset with the way the complaints had been handled.

SNIP

According to the report, Rhee met with Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez, a teacher at St. Hope, after hearing about the allegations, and promised she would "take care of the situation."

At first, Wong-Hernandez said she felt relieved. But she said her relief turned to a chill when she was called to a meeting with Johnson and one of the alleged victims and was told by Johnson that he and the 18-year-old girl had spoken privately and "everything was OK between them."

A few months later, in June 2007, Wong-Hernandez left the school, telling Rhee that the handling of that incident was the major reason.

[maggief]

Inauguration Watch

Seen in the Crowd: Michelle Rhee and Kevin Johnson

D.C. Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson are very close friends. Rhee and the former Phoenix Suns star, were spotted among those at the mall, reports Post reporter Michael Birnbaum, who took this photo:

By David A Nakamura | January 20, 2009; 3:05 PM ET

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/rheekj.jpg&imgrefurl=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/2009/01/seen_in_the_crowd_michelle_rhe.html&usg=__0aLHDVNUeDLD7XAdtcblgoi0EWo=&h=785&w=640&sz=72&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=IfYaFjPl7C_lKM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=117&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522michelle%2Brhee%2522%2Bkevin%2Bjohnson%2Binauguration%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26um%3D1

[camp_steveo]

Is this huge or what?

[Deb]

Prediction: One day story.

[HighlyOpinionated]

This story will gain momentum.

Contact your Senators and the waffling Democrats . . . when they vote on bills, they don’t just effect their State, they effect ALL of us.

Tell them that in the first sentence to get their attention.

Email, fax, whatever. Do it. We might be able to sway Bill Nelson!