inside walpin’s firing – the latest
By American Girl in Italy on June 26, 2009 at 12:00 PM in Current Affairs
Remarkably this story is still moving forward, although it is difficult to find. Byron York from the Washington Examiner wrote two articles this week, Getting to the bottom of the AmeriCorps IG firing and AmeriCorps feared bad press if IG investigation continued
York appeared on Beck to discuss the firing:
Getting to the bottom of the AmeriCorps IG firing – The corporation has told Congress that members of the board, who do not serve full-time and are not closely involved in the day-to-day operations of the corporation, unanimously supported the decision to fire Walpin. But the corporation has never said the board unanimously supported the way in which Walpin was fired.
And indeed, a long discussion with a Republican member of the board suggests that while there was, in fact, agreement on firing Walpin, it’s not clear whether there was sufficient cause to do it. Nor is it clear why the White House decided to lower the boom in a way that defied the law governing how inspectors general can be fired.Walpin and the management of the corporation clashed repeatedly over his investigations into AmeriCorps projects. The disagreements came to a head at a May 20 board meeting when Walpin, by his own account, “lectured” board members for going along with the corporation’s politically appointed management and closing out his investigation of Kevin Johnson’s educational organization, St. HOPE, which received about $850,000 in AmeriCorps money and misused at least half of it.
From AmeriCorps feared bad press if IG investigation continued
It appears the discussion of the St. HOPE matter was a turning point not only in the May 20 meeting but in Walpin’s tenure at the Corporation. In a recent interview, a Republican member of the Corporation board told me that Walpin told board members at the meeting that he wanted to issue some sort of public statement to the effect that there should be more investigation of the St. HOPE matter. “He said, ‘I feel so strongly about this that today I am going to issue a statement to the press calling for further investigation,’” the member said, recalling Walpin’s words. “The board members all caught that. Several of us wrote down that he was going to be issuing a statement to the press that afternoon.”
It was a distressing scenario for the board. As a favorite program of Barack and Michelle Obama, AmeriCorps was enjoying a higher profile than ever before. The Corporation also stood to receive vast amounts of new funding from the $5.7 billion Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which would triple the size of AmeriCorps. And in the midst of that, here was the agency’s inspector general saying he might re-open an investigation into an embarrassing episode involving hundreds of thousands of mis-spent dollars and a politically prominent supporter of the president. More here.
In addition to the WH smearing Walpin as senile, the Board also tried to drum up a bunch of charges against him. You can read the rest of the article here.
As for the claims by the White House that Walpin is confused and disoriented, colleagues of Walpin, including Democrats and Obama supporters, wrote an open letter to the White House and Congress vouching for his “integrity and competence”. The letter, as noted by HotAir, has 147 signatures, including former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Bernard Nussbaum, Bill Clinton’s White House counsel.
The Washington Post covered the story today, Grassley Presses Obama on Watchdogs
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) this week suggested that the Obama administration is attempting to interfere with investigations conducted by government watchdogs and said he will continue to press the White House for information regarding the recent dismissal of Gerald Walpin, the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa)”I kind of get the impression that there’s kind of a crusade early on in this administration to, how would you say it, short circuit inspectors general,” Grassley said earlier this week during an interview.
Staffers for the Iowa Republican are seeking information into at least five alleged incidents of interference with inspectors general at Amtrak, the Corporation, the International Trade Commission, the Library of Congress and with the special inspector general for the Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).
You can continue the article here.
(Release: November 13)
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this could be hillary’s time to announce she is resigning from obama’s administration! She needs to speak up for gerald walpin. {a man who has done nothing wrong, but get on the bad side of kevin johnson. a big time obama supporter}…hillary could gain tremendous credibility with independents and moderate republicans and possibly get the democratic nod in 2012….If she remains silent about obama and his breaking federal law. she could ruin any chance she has to further her political career. I know I will be watching to see what she does…..if anything
On some news show this morning in between all the Jackson mess someone was talking about Hillary. They were saying she has her hands tied more than any other SOS in a long time. They said something to the tune of her just being just a figure head with no ability to do anything.
No I do not remember the station as I was trying to find something to watch besides news and Jackson.
it doesnt speak well of hillary if she allows her “hands to be tied” does it?
What primary season were you watching?
It didn’t matter what she said the media cut and twisted her words and her husband’s.
Which venue can she use to properly get the word out? Before it is sliced and diced into she is a traitor.
You are deluding yourself with such nonsense.
how does this fall under Sec of State responsibity?
It falls under the heading of…”doing the right thing”….thats how it falls to her……
Anything that happens is Hillary’s responsibility according to Markie.
walpins firing wasnt hillarys fault…her silence about the obama administration is…..does that clear it up for you?
Yeah, and anything that happens is reason for her to resign, too.
Troll, I say.
Yep. Just waiting to pounce with the Resign, Hillary meme.
If Hillary were to resign I would think it would be over urkles ’see how it plays out’ stance on Iran/N Korea. I don’t see her resigning at all as then the media whores will paint her as not being able to handle the pressures of the job. Damned if she does. Damned if she doesn’t.
my .02
Damned from the time she accepted the SOS job. Dumb move, Hillary.
mark,
After what the DNC, the MSM, the obama camp and his supporters did to Hillary during the primary, do you really think she is in a position to take on the overwhelming power structure who are protecting and have been protecting THE ONE since he started his run for the presidence? I seem to remember that Hillary was never allowed to defend herself in any way throughout the campaign against all of the daily misogyny and sexist attacks spewed against her non-stop, while, on the other hand, the media allowed obama 30 minutes of free air time on all the major channels to lecture the country about the evils of racism (despite the fact that he used the race card against the Clintons and anyone who didn’t support him during the primary, every chance he got for political gain and no one ever called him on it). It’s clear that there are power elites behind the scenes calling the shots and why you think Hillary should destroy her career by taking them on is beyond me.
It’s much smarter to be patient while being on the inside doing what you can, biding your time and developing your strategy for later use, than it would be being branded by the MSM, the obama supporters and the pundits as a bitter, ambitious woman, who can’t accept that is not the president and lost “fair and square” to the better candidate!
She’s fighting a huge double standard and any women who thinks she can take it head on by herself might want to stop and remember what happened to a courageous woman who did stand up to these power elites — Cynthia McKinney. Her voice has been silenced because she did so.
The same thing would happen to Hillary.
cynthia mckinney? thats funny…the bigot and jew hater? she is also a 9-11 truther…..whack -job is putting it mildly….she silenced herself with her hatred of whites and jews…
done replying to you troll.
Stay on topic.
sorry…but the cynthia mckinney thing was eating at me….Im glad the racist, jew hater was thrown out of office
I want to make something perfectly clear to you Mark:
Cynthia McKinney uses strong language at times, perhaps; but McKinney–like many Americans, including Jewish Americans–disagrees strongly with Israeli policies regarding the Palestinians. That doesn’t make her a “jew hater” unless you want to call Jews who agree with her regarding Israeli government policy “jew-haters” too. And, there are many Jews, in the US, Europe and Israel who do dissent from Israeli policies.
Dissenting from government policies does not make one racist or anti-semitic.
nope…sorry…that dog dont hunt….she may well disagree with israel’s policy’s.. but that doesnt give her the right to defame them…which she does every chance she gets…and what about her hatred of white people?
mckinney also denies the holocaust….try spinning that………next?
cite your source, asswipe.
:crickets:
Congresswoman McKinney is anti-Semitic, just like her dad.
mckinney1
mckinney2
thats where I got the info. youtube. mckinney’s own words. thats pretty hard to deny. and thank you for the link …next?
jbjd, first link does not work, do you have a different one for mckinney1? thx, nom
Here is complete text of speech of mckinney2; she plainly says zionism, not judaism. I do not find this to be anti-semitic, but have transcribed text: let anyone judge for themselves.
I don’t agree with everything McKinney says, or any other politician for that matter, but she is hardly the psycho claimed by our newly resident troll.
“Great, thank you. Who’d have thought it would be so cold in May in New York City; but every day is a good day when you’re standing up for justice. On my birthday last year I declared my independence from the national leadership that through its votes in support of the war machine is now complicit in war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity and crimes against the peace. I declared my independence from every bomb dropped, every veteran maimed, and every child killed. I noted that the Democratic leadership in Congress had failed to restore this country to Constitutional rule by repealing the Patriot Acts, the Secret Evidence Act, and the Military Commissions Act. That it had aided and abetted illegal spying against the American people. And that it took impeachment off the table.
In addition the Democratic congressional leadership failed to promote the economic integrity of this country by not repealing the Bush tax cuts. They failed to institute a livable wage, Medicare for all, health care and gave even more money to the Pentagon as it misuses our hard earned dollars.
We can add to that list an abject failure to stand up for human rights and dignity. If the Democratic and Republican leadership won’t respect the right of return for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita survivors how can we expect them to champion the right of return for Palestinians?
If this country’s leadership tolerates the wanton murder of unarmed black and latino men by law enforcement officials, extrajudicial killings, how can we expect them to stop or even speak out against targeted assassinations in the Middle East?
If the Democratic and Republican leadership accept ethnic cleansing in this country by way of gentrification and predatory lending, why should we expect them to put an end to it inside Palestine?
If the leadership of this country impedes self-determination for Native peoples in this country, why should we expect them to support indigenous rights for anyone abroad?
And sadly, the sensationalist, corporate media would rather trick us into thinking that reporting on a pastor, and a former vice presidential nominee, and a former cable tv magnate, constitutes this country’s much needed discussion of its own apartheid past and present. So why should we expect an honest discussion of apartheid and Zionism?
I hope by now it’s clear: our values will never be reflected in public policy as long as our national political parties and our country remain hijacked. Hijacked by false patriots who usurped the applause(?) of the people and all the while betray our values.
I’ve decided that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans will operate any longer as business as usual, not in my name. That Democrats and Republicans will use my tax dollars and betray my values not one day longer. Not in my name.
That neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have earned my most precious political asset, and that’s my vote. And that now is the time to do some things that we’ve never done before in order to have some things that we’ve never had before.
So I’m here today, and I declare my independence from weapons transfers, including Apache helicopters, F-16’s; Sidewinder, Hellfire, and Stinger missiles. I declare my independence from occupation, demolished homes, political prisoners, and babies dying at checkpoints.
I declare my independence from United Nations vetoes, expropriated land, stolen resources, and the installation of puppet regimes. I declare my independence from all forms of dehumanization. And I’m not afraid to speak Truth to Power. I am happy to join with peace-loving people around the world, who know that there can be no peace where there is no justice. Let us never tire in our work for justice. Thank you.”
halp, mighty Spaminator; please release comment, thx.
jbjd, forgot to say, McKinney is not responsible for her father.
thx! Mighty One, sorry about length of post
mark,
Cynthia McKinney was not a “well-behaved woman” nor was she fooled by bush and his band of crooks. She took them on. McKinney asked questions and grilled top Washington officials like no other. She grilled Donald Rumsfeld over missing trillions of dollars from the government, DynCorp’s sex slaves, and the unannounced war games on the morning of 911.
She stood up to power and was a threat to the power establishment. They had to silence her.
Would that be the same Cynthia McKinney who fought against the voter fraud in Florida in 2000?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPOmOTyDm1w&feature=related
Cynthia McKinney who fights for the rights of sick veterans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV_3VRUzBj4
the Cynthia McKinney who suggested congress impeach Bush about 2 years before Kucinich did, and also included Cheney and Rice? (yeah, sounds like a racist, trying to rid us of the highest ranked black person in the US)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLosEdbd6us&videos=Ws_ejVj0p5g&playnext_from=TL&playnext=1
the same McKinney who opposes the US Africom militarization of Africa for the purpose of resource theft, something no other congressperson bothered to speak about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDGOMY4gNVQ
The Cynthia Mckinney who gave testimony as to the plight of the Christians and Sudanese animists against the muslims; again, a situation that almost no other politician or congressperson bothered to speak about?
http://www.1worldcommunication.org/thehorrorofsudan.htm
The Cynthia McKinney who stood up and spoke against the Patriot Acts, Secret Evidence Act, the Military Commisions Act, FISA, suspension of habeas corpus rights for detainees, torture?
http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/cynthia-mckinney/20/civil-liberties-and-domestic-security/2/
the Cynthia McKinney who left the Democrat Party when she saw it was corrupt and ran for president, just like we wished Hillary would?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G3eq-I7CzM
Wow, she sounds completely crazy, no wonder you hate her.
you skipped her greatest hits….like the police officer she assaulted and the comments she made after her defeat was…”the jews did it” thats from her own lips…I guess you forgot…right?
interestingly, the alleged assault occurred in an area where there is surveillance, yet no tape of it was ever produced. Even Drudge, which led the media charge against her, admitted that there was a tape of the entire incident.
“A statement attributed to McKinney has been released on the Internet, where she allegedly claims to have been harassed by Capitol Hill Police.
The statement’s writer says that she has been harassed by white police officers she says do not recognize her due to her recently changed hairstyle.
“Do I have to contact the police every time I change my hairstyle? How do we account for the fact that when I wore my braids every day for 11 years, I still faced this problem, primarily from certain white police officers,” the statement says.
“I was rushing to my meeting when a white police officer yelled to me. He approached me, bodyblocked me, physically touching me. I used my arm to get him off of me. I told him not to touch me several times. He asked for my ID and I showed it to him. He then let me go and I proceeded to my meeting and I assume that the Police Officer resumed his duties. I have counseled with the Sergeant-at-Arms and Acting Assistant Chief Thompson several times before and counseled with them again on today’s incident. I offered also to counsel with the offending police officer.”
I would bet money that the tape confirms McKinney’s account. But I am perfectly happy to believe otherwise if anyone can show me the tape.
McKinney’s disagreements with AIPAC are documented, but you cannot find one video of her making any anti-jewish remarks. Nor in fact did all jews in Georgia dislike her:
http://www.rense.com/general27/thre.htm
you still cannot seem to produce any sources, probably because you pull your statements out of your ass.
Kathleen,
Mark is trolling, please don’t waste your time.
Hillary should resign to show conviction and character.. something Pres Obama is short of.
Damn straight she should resign!!!!! the support she would get from independents and moderates would be a game changer…..
I have a problem with Hillary resigning over anything that will not have a major impact on this current admin. Good people cannot leave the pigs to run this nation into oblivion. The very fact that Obama has a high personal popularity with a diminishing policy popularity is telling in and of itself regarding how myopic American citizens can be. Obama fires someone and the idiotic masses assume it must be because he (Walpin in this case) is a bad person. THE ONE has spoken and the people voters that like him continue to swallow the swill they are fed.
No, BHO SHOULD RESIGN, since he didn’t even win his party’s nomination, but stole it from Clinton
That’s right. I shudder to think of this ill-deserving frat boy administration running things with out the moderation influence of a real adult (ie, Hillary).
Let’s change Mark’s meme: Resign, Barack!
That would be great!!!!!
Well, we agree on something!
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello? This piece is not about Hillary Clinton, what she should or should not do. She’s Secretary of State. I find it amazing that the “dump on Hillary” meme comes up again and again, even when the subject or article has nothing to do with her.
Then again, this has been HRC’s history. Her critics are legion. And extraordinarily nasty.
Do I want her to quit? Hell no.
As far as the Walpin fiasco? It’s a disgrace. The man was clearly smeared because he was doing his job. Obama doesn’t want watchdogs, only lapdogs. Puts a new spin on “transparency.” The whole affair is blatant cronyism. The new boss is just like the old boss. So much for all that promised “change.”
Peggy Sue,
You said it much better than I did! You were right on target.
I agree! What you said.
Yes, me too
Me thinks the Walpin matter is turning into BO’s Alberto-Gonzalez like fiasco.
sorta kinda.that caused the prez some headaches.
only lapdogs…
The bred changes day today doesn’t?
Thank you American girl in Italy for the post.
With the wall to wal on MJ, I awoke this morning wondering what was in fridays trash. Hard to find indeed.
TGIF. Well said Peggy Sue.
Back on track, thanks to Peggy Sue.
Walpin had the temerity to turn the light on in a room filled with Obama cockroaches, Walpin was DOING HIS JOB! Unfortunately for him, his job description is in direct conflict with the Obama agenda. He’s not alone, watchdogs and whistleblowers are being eliminated and replaced across the board. Obama’s Orwellian claims of “transparancy” are actually a cynical cover for secret activities that would enrage everyone were they revealed. His intentions are usually the opposite of his words, and the measurable effects of all of his activities are beggining to clearly prove the bitter reality that is in stark contrast to his sugary rhetoric.
The safety valves, checks and balances, and separation of powers are all dissappearing with the greatest Presidential power grab in the history of this nation. Unfortunately we have probably already reached the tipping point, and I hope it is not too late for all concerned to put our boots on and get out there and kick some ass. Obama needs to be stopped on ALL fronts because he and his marxist buddies are ATTACKING us on all fronts. It has to stop NOW!
Thank you Peggy Sue, and so right you are!
IMPEACH Obama now!
Disband Ameri
corpscorrupt now!Take ACORN down now!
IMPEACH Obama now!
A leader stands up and shouts! im not buying the argument that hillary has no power……and hillary certainly doesnt want to be a lapdog…..does she?
I’m sorry, but people did not want her to lead. If they had, she’d be in the White House right now and America would be getting back on track!
No one wanted to hear about Obama’s flaws all of last year and as far as I can tell that hasn’t changed. She may very well be speaking up about it, but getting no air time or getting edited out!
She will wait until the people are open to hearing that Obama is a Chicago pol.
The whole indoctrination of school kids thing with the help of MO is the thing that frightened me most about reading this post.
O.k., call me alarmist, prone to conspiracy thinking, etc., but those of us working for Hillary during th primary all the way up through precinct, state house and senate, congressional district, and state conventions and assemblies witnessed first hand the easy indoctrination of supposed adults to the O agenda.
I’m telling you this sincerely: I would not allow my kids to attend public schools if I had school-aged kids. I might even offer to uproot myself so I can homeschool grandkids. Imagine an American Basij being raised up in your own home. You can find examples all through history of cultures that officially indoctrinated kids through organizations specifically for that purpose. They always sound so public spirited and high minded, but they end up bad.
I am homeschooling my kids. Started this summer. We start at 9 and are done by 12 to go out and explore the world. We are growing a garden because my thrid grader is learning all about plants in his Science lessons. I wanted a superior educational experience for my kids but I also like that they are not being indoctrinated and becoming “good lil drones”.
Obama just doesn’t care what people think of him. His popularity would let him get away with murder and even a sex scandal. He just keeps breaking the law of the land and the MSM gives him a pass.
I agree hank……lets all remember donald young!!!!!
actually hank…obama has already gotten away with murder and a sex scandal…..larry sinclair was the sex scandal….and donald young was the gay man killed from obama’s church……I am not current on those conspiracy theories…but at least the sinclair story has legs…
hank…agreed
America Corps is the youth fascist movement, in the style of Hitler, for bho idolators, IMO. It is dangerous to young minds, our Constitution and our country. The cult of personality in this country is destroying us from within.
Every time a bho supporter gets away with graft, corruption, election fraud, etc., we move closer to serfdom. Control of the banks, auto industries, media and legal government entities designed to prevent such abuse of individual rights and the Bill of Rights is fascism.
Of course bho the fraud had Walperin fired. He was getting too close to the truth–the whole truth.
Thanks for the update on this story AGII. I hope it has legs, as it’s yet another glaring example of how this administration wants ANYTHING BUT transparency and impartial, effective government oversight.
I hope Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs continue to devote air time to this story. The more stories like this one “disappear,” the stronger the “Thug Network” becomes. Thanks for keeping it alive here, AGII.
I believe its been pointed out that Obama is firing IG’s who don’t toe the Obama line left & right. The Other McCain is also on this story with Senator contact info, for people who want to nudge lawmakers to investigate this issue. It appears that the Amtrak IG is the latest to be axed.
Just amazing. This is one dirty, nasty and lying presidenot.
I know this much: This country’s politics need to be reformed! End the Iraq War. Bring the troops home.
Funny how the subject got changed so quick in this thread. This is about oversight. If an official charged with overseeing the appropriation of funds uncovers misdeeds and gets fired, that tells any possible whistle blower that there will not be any protection for them if they were to spill the beans. We’ve heard all about Walpin, where’s the stuff about Kevin Johnson and how the money steered to St. Hope went for car washing duty and who knows what else. We’re talking about 100’s of thousands of dollars. Johnson claims it will be paid back. He works for a non-profit, where will the money he needs to pay back come from?
I know… distraction.
About Americorps. I don’t know why you call Americorps the youth facsist movement. My son works for Americorps, as a teacher’s aid in a public school system, assisting ESL students learn English and helping them assimilate. As a college grad, he is serving his country in a peaceful way. He has just enough money to pay his rent and utilities–he watches every dime! He gets health insurance (we parents are paying healthy deductibles) and food stamps, and perhaps an allowance for future education if he serves enough hours, but that’s not guaranteed. He is not living a luxurious life, but he loves his work, and he inspires his students. If SOME organizations misuse funds, that should not damn the whole program. Americorps is a non-military form of serving the country, and developing character. AS for the politics of the incident under discussion, I hope that eventually chickens come home to roost for this administration.
Thanks for a great piece. I so appreciate how No Quarter is a forum that focuses on the truth instead of towing the kool-aid line of denial, distraction, and scapegoating. Keeps me sane!!