Obama Accuses Fired Inspector General of AmeriCorps of Being 'Confused, Disoriented' (WOW)

Fox ^ | 6/16/09 | Majpor Garrett

[pissant]

WASHINGTON -- Responding to criticism from a Senate Democratic ally, President Obama explained why he fired the Inspector General of the AmeriCorps without the 30-day notification required by law, calling Gerald Walpin so "confused" and "disoriented" that there was reason to question "his capacity to serve."

In a letter to the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Committee that oversees AmeriCorps, Obama listed these alleged defects in Walpin's leadership as an Inspector General.

* Removed after unanimous request from the AmeriCorps board of directors

* At May, 20, 2009, board meeting Walpin "was confused, disoriented and unable to answer questions and exhibited behavior that led the board to question his capacity to serve."

* The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California complained about Walpin's conduct to the IG oversight board and alleged he withheld exculpatory evidence.

* Walpin had "been absent from the Corporation's headquarters, insisting upon working from his home in New York over the objection" of the board.

* He "exhibited a lack of candor in providing material information to decision makers."

* He "engaged in other troubling and inappropriate conduct."

* He "had become unduly disruptive to agency operations, impairing his effectiveness."

[penelopesire]

He sounds sharp as a tack! Thanks for posting his reply.

[autumnraine]

He was on Glenn Beck Monday and seemed very intellegent and coherant.

[Tainan]

bkmrk for later reference. above posts also.

[anniegetyourgun]

This guy is sharper than Joe Biden.

[Girlene]

Does this thing have legs .....

Grassley and other Republicans are questioning Michelle Obama's influence in the whole matter. From Fox News

Republicans also have asked what role, if any, First Lady Michelle Obama played in Walpin's firing. The White House denies Mrs. Obama had any voice in Walpin's future with the agency. Republicans began to question Mrs. Obama's role after press reports indicated she was taking a strong interest in AmeriCorps activities and when her former chief of staff, Jackie Norris, became a "senior adviser" to the Corporation for National and Community Service, also known as AmeriCorps.

If Republicans keep up the pressure, I think it does have legs. It exposes Obama's tactics of Chicago thuggery in getting rid of people who stand in the way of his wants.

[Principled]

This is another “The CIA lied to Congress” story. Just another in a long list of naive and ignorant behaviors by the children in charge now.

The country is already firmly opposed to this admin’s policies and behavior. I pray the we’re kept whole long enough to kick the idiots out.

[sheik yerbouty]

The Devil is a liar..

[Typical_Whitey]

Exactly, I think the real question is how many jobs did Walpin “SAVE”.

The standards for this admin couldn’t be lower.

GOP should call for a full investigation. Apparently Walpin has stellar performance and this is nothing more then Political witch hunt and cronyism.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Removed after unanimous request from the AmeriCorps board of directors

Isn't this move one of the reasons the 30-day with cause LAW was enacted?

And, what is the timing of Norris being appointed senior advisor? Just a thought that, as an advisor, Norris may have "advised" the dismissal of Walpin to the Board.

[Girlene]

More background on the St Hope's Academy/Kevin Johnson that was being investigated by the IO Walpin. From FBI Probes Obstuction of Justice Claim by Former St. Hope Official. It seems the FBI is also looking into obstruction of justice charges for a member of the charter school board. It is alleged that a board member deleted Kevin Johnson's emails while the federal investigation was ongoing. Hmmmmmm.

[Dustbunny]

What a total crock!!!

[KansasGirl]

I’ll trust Walpin’s word over Obama’s.

[huldah1776]

Exactly what I told my 17 year old this morning. He has to be prepared. I also said I would rather live in Siberia (I love the snow), than stay here if the commibama agenda is allowed to be put in place. Also described the conditions for a PERFECT STORM. Can the Supreme Court bring the others into line? Is all this legal?

I hate to say this, but John McCain’s loss, his political advisers and his weak/polite campaign, may just give rise to an American Ho Chi Minh.

[Girlene]

I will to. More background from an excellent article by the Wall Street Journal, The White House Fires a Watchdog . It seems Walpin was really trying to do his job.

Mr. Walpin brought his concerns to the Corporation's board, but some board members were angry over a separate Walpin investigation into the wrongful disbursement of $80 million to the City University of New York. Concerned about the St. HOPE mess, Mr. Walpin wrote a 29-page report, signed by two other senior members of his office, and submitted it in April to Congress. Last Wednesday, he got a phone call from a White House lawyer telling him to resign within an hour or be fired.

The Wall Street Journal sums it up with this:

If this seems like small beer, keep in mind that Mr. Obama promised to carefully watch how every stimulus dollar is spent. In this case, the evidence suggests that his White House fired a public official who refused to roll over to protect a Presidential crony.

[Jo Nuvark]

Obama... You, sir, are the one who is DISORIENTED AND CONFUSED!

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

Will Obama get away with this? Will this man speak out?Or will he only speak out on Fox News and Obama will say the station that hates him made this up?

[dirtboy]

Removed after unanimous request from the AmeriCorps board of directors

Imagine that - the target of his audits complaining about the auditor actually uncovering wrongdoing.

[greyfoxx39]

In the USSR, those who were deviant to the state were accuse of mental illness and usually sent off to camps for mental reconditioning. This is scary...

This is terrifying!

[CottShop]

The IG must have had to answer a question about what he thought about gay marriage- He musta answered that he beleives marriage should be between a man and a woman, and so they decrowned him

[goodnesswins]

I heard he was interviewed on CNBC....and I know that Glenn Beck and Laura Ingraham have both interviewed him.....time will tell.