I Rest My Case
On this weeks show, I pointed out that President Obama was pushing Congress to pass Paygo. I also pointed out that the Democrats don't need paygo. They are, after all, in power to such a degree that the Republicans cannot pass spending without Democrat help. And even if they did, Obama could veto it. Hence, Obama with his hand in the Treasury is like a fat kid with a box of Twinkies. He has to have someone take the thing away from him or it will all be gone by bedtime.
Yet the most pertinent point is the fact that President Obama demands Paygo, yet pushes a health care plan that defies Paygo in the same breath. Hence, I made the point that Obama not only disregards our laws, but he doesn't even care about his laws. Enter Inspector General Gerald Walpin. The Washington Examiner reports the following.
The White House's decision to fire AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin came amid politically-charged tensions inside the Corporation for National and Community Service, the organization that runs AmeriCorps. Top executives at the Corporation, Walpin explained in an hour-long interview Saturday, were unhappy with his investigation into the misuse of AmeriCorps funds by Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, California and a prominent supporter of President Obama. Walpin's investigation also sparked conflict with the acting U.S. attorney in Sacramento amid fears that the probe -- which could have resulted in Johnson being barred from ever winning another federal grant -- might stand in the way of the city receiving its part of billions of dollars in federal stimulus money. After weeks of standoff, Walpin, whose position as inspector general is supposed to be protected from influence by political appointees and the White House, was fired.
Walpin learned his fate Wednesday night. He was driving to an event in upstate New York when he received a call from Norman Eisen, the Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform. "He said, 'Mr. Walpin, the president wants me to tell you that he really appreciates your service, but it's time to move on,'" Walpin recalls. "Eisen said, 'You can either resign, or I'll tell you that we'll have to terminate you.'"
At that moment, Walpin says, he had finished not only a report on the Sacramento probe but also an investigation into extensive misuse of AmeriCorps money by the City University of New York, which is AmeriCorps' biggest program. Walpin says he told Eisen that, given those two investigations, neither of which was well-received by top Corporation management, the timing of his firing seemed "very interesting." According to Walpin, Eisen said it was "pure coincidence." When Walpin asked for some time to consider what to do, Eisen gave him one hour. "Then he called back in 45 minutes and asked for my response," Walpin recalls.
But here is where the whole thing gets even stickier for the President. The 2008 Inspectors General Reform Act requires the President to give Congress a 30 day notice plus an explanation of cause before firing an inspector general. Even more ironic is the fact that this legislation was co sponsored by then Senator Barack Obama.
As per the specifics of the case, Mayor Kevin Johnson not only allegedly used grant funds for purposes other than their specified use, he also reportedly used federally-funded AmeriCorps staff to drive him to appointments, wash his car, and run personal errands. The evidence gathered by Inspector General Walpin was turned over to at the Corporation, and resulted in Mayor Johnson, a staunch Obama supporter, being suspended from receiving further federal funding with the possibility of a permanent disbarment.
This corruption comes as no surprise to those of us who have studied the short political career of President Obama. What does come as a surprise is his unwillingness to throw an ally under the bus when push came to shove. As was evidenced in the cases of Rev Wright, William Ayers, Rod Blagojevich, and many others, one might expect President Obama to turn on Mayor Kevin Johnson rather than risk his own neck to cover for him. Thankfully, in this particular case, one would be wrong.
