Obama axes Inspector General for investigating mayor Kevin Johnson

[maxrule]

I knew it would not be long before Obama scandals began to erupt and this is a big one. Of course the Dems and the media will ignore it as much as possible but it just goes to show the double standard.

Obama can fire anyone at any time with out suspicion, even if that person happens to be an Inspector General investigating a friend and supporter of Obama.

This Americorps National Service crap is scam and a fraud as usual. Just another way for Obama to funnel porkulus money to his friends and cronies.

"I think you have to look at the facts and the circumstances and reach your conclusions," Walpin said in a WND interview. "I will tell you that [my firing] came only after we had issued those two reports to Congress, and I don't think that's a coincidence."

Further, Walpin said, "I am convinced that I and my office are not guilty of any impropriety. In essence, I was fired for doing my job."

‘Service’ Inspector General fired by Obama for investigating ‘Hood Corps’ mayor Kevin Johnson?

Controversy has erupted over President Obama’s firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin, a Bush appointee who was tasked with investigating fraud and misuse inside of the Corporation for National and Community Service, an umbrella organization for service under Homeland Security that includes AmeriCorps and many other related groups.

Although Obama has complained that Walpin was “exercising his power as president,” questions have been raised as to whether Obama’s real motive centers around an ongoing investigation into friend and fellow ’service’ advocate Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento and founder of youth program ‘Hood Corps.’

Inspector General Walpin alleged that Kevin Johnson misused AmeriCorps funds allocated to Hood Corps.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

The IG found that Johnson, a former all-star point guard for the Phoenix Suns, had used AmeriCorps grants to pay volunteers to engage in school-board political activities, run personal errands for Johnson and even wash his car.

Walpin has also charged that Johnson took AmeriCorps members to New York “to promote the expansion of St HOPE operations in Harlem,” a purpose, he says, that was not authorized by the grant.

Johnson has been an Obama supporter and was one of only a few mayors invited to meet with the President and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to discuss how stimulus money can be spent in their local communities.

It may have been a desire to avoid negative press about AmeriCorps-related programs that drove the president to axe the Investigator General, and with it the investigation. Obama has clearly worked to expand AmeriCorps and may have reacted to shut down embarrassment about improperly used funds within the program.

Patty Kelley has suggested as much in the Boston Examiner:

The removal of Gerald Walpin, the current Inspector General who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs by the President himself is interesting in itself. More interesting, the change comes after his friend was cited for misuse of funds through his nonprofit group.

National Service has been curiously at the forefront of Obama’s presidency and a part of the former community organizer’s image. His now WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel gained attention for his 2006 ‘The Plan,’ a policy book advocating compulsory service. Already, his administration has passed the GIVE Act, which extends AmeriCorps funding, and a further bill for mandatory service has now been introduced in Congress.

During his presidential campaign, Obama appeared at the Service Nation-sponsored 9/11 Presidential Forum on National Service, where the expansion of the national service agenda was made clear. His stated plans included a civilian expeditionary force which would back up military and assist in nation building overseas in places like Afghanistan. This force has been announced in the Obama administration under DoD 1404.10.

TV ads for AmeriCorps-affiliated City Year are also now running major promotion for the service agenda, which has been pushed not only by Obama and Emanuel, but high-level advisors such as David Gergen. City Year has announced plans to mobilize service activities around the September 11 anniversary.

YouTube - National Service: David Gergen, City Year and the social change agenda

Mayor Kevin Johnson had reportedly settled the dispute over funds with the U.S. Attorney’s office as of April 9, 2009, at a time when he was working closely with the Obama Administration about receiving stimulus funds.

Sacramento Bee reported that Walprin “has no doubt he acted properly in investigating the Sacramento mayor.” Other investigators “said Walpin had identified millions of dollars in AmeriCorps funds that were wasted or misspent” and that “it appears he has been doing a good job.”

The investigation has been on-going for sometime, and Walprin himself brought embarrassing questions to Johnson during his run for mayor in 2007.

Walpin’s office made repeated public comments just before the Sacramento mayoral election, prompting the U.S. attorney’s office to inform the media that it did not intend to file any criminal charges.

For his part, Johnson has denied any wrongdoing. Instead, the AP reported, he “blamed unnamed political enemies for the investigation and criticized the federal government for having grant requirements he said are too difficult to follow.”

Mayor Johnson was also instrumental in “helping” Governor Schwarzenegger force Sacramento’s homeless out of tent cities and relocating them to the Cal Expo, where strict policy, including in & out privileges, limit the freedom of its temporary residents.

President Obama is hoping you won’t notice his abrupt change of inspectors general over at Americorps, the government-run, taxpayer-subsidized “community service” boondoggle (which Republicans helped expand as part of the $6 billion GIVE/SERVE Act in March despite its wasteful track record. Thanks, Republicans).

With intervention from Michelle Obama, the Americorps inspector general was given the boot and replaced — for doing his job too well, it seems, and uncovering squandering of funds by favored contributors, educational institutions, and left-wing groups.

This Associated Press article only scratches the surface:

CNCSOIG Audit Reports

[stoned budda]

Wonder who Obama will apoint as propaganda czar, i mean that sounds like the next logical step in this narcissistic pricks agenda.

[AK Infinity]

Originally Posted by stoned budda

Wonder who Obama will apoint as propaganda czar, i mean that sounds like the next logical step in this narcissistic pricks agenda.

What is it with all of your Obama hate, seriously? Also, read the rules your sig is against them.

[stoned budda]

Originally Posted by AK Infinity

What is it with all of your Obama hate, seriously? Also, read the rules your sig is against them.

I think his policies are bad for the country, i think he has an agenda bent on systematically destroying our economy while nationalizing our industries. I don't like him, its not a secret. Where were you when people were hating on George Bush?

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by AK Infinity

What is it with all of your Obama hate, seriously? Also, read the rules your sig is against them.

Obama hasn't shown himself to be anything but a fucking idiot. What's with your love for him?

[AK Infinity]

Originally Posted by stoned budda

I think his policies are bad for the country, i think he has an agenda bent on systematically destroying our economy while nationalizing our industries. I don't like him, its not a secret. Where were you when people were hating on George Bush?

Yeah, President Obama ran for almost two years, has inspired loyalty in alot of Washington pros, and the people that voted for him all to destroy the Country? And everyone around him is complicit in this effort? Do you realize how nutty that sounds? It's perfectly fine to disagree with his policies but to attribute to him a desire to destroy the Country removes whatever thin sliver of credibility you have. For whatever reason there are some and many of them appear to be disconnected from reality, but they reserve only the harshest terms when describing our new president. They seem almost oblivious to the fact that language so heated turns many people off but the most loony.

[emazing]

If he's trying to cover his tracks this early then we're in for a LONG fucking presidency. Near 5 months into his presidency he hasn't proved anything. Hopefully he's out in 4 years.

[Dickie4:20]

I think we need to look into this more before you right wingers go off the handle.

This is all info based on reporting by the Sacramento Bee, the city that Kevin Johnson is mayor.

- In April 2008, federal agents (meaning Walpin's IG office, it seems, though the reporting is unclear) began investigating the use of federal grant money by the St. HOPE Academy, a Sacramento non-profit then run by Johnson.

- The following month, local law enforcement announced that no criminal case could be made against Johnson, but the federal probe continued.

- In June, Johnson beat the incumbent mayor, Heather Fargo, in the Democratic primary. But because he didn't win 50 percent of the vote, he would have to face her again in a runoff in November.

- Later that month, the Bee reported that the federal investigation into St. HOPE had expanded to look at the possible misuse of $807,000 in AmeriCorps funds.

- In September, the federal probe was turned over to the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento.

- Later that month, Walpin, on behalf of CNCS, released the findings of the federal probe, which it appears he had led. Walpin found that St. HOPE had improperly used hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money, by using AmeriCorps volunteers to run errands for Johnson, wash his car, and do political work relating to a local school board race. Saying he had found "potential criminal violations," Walpin recommended that while the US attorney's office's investigation was ongoing, Johnson and another St. HOPE official be barred from receiving federal money. The Bee would later note in an editorial, "Walpin decided to act before any legal body determined whether irregularities in the administration of grants from 2004-2007 reflected inadvertent errors and ignorance of regulations or actual fraud."

- Nonetheless, days later, a "debarment official" at CNCS followed up on Walpin's recommendation, taking the rare step of issuing a letter suspending Johnson and the other official from receiving federal funds. Walpin touted the news in "huge red headlines" on his IG website, according to the Bee.

- The Bee would later find that, since its inception in 1994, the NCSC had suspended only two other organizations and three other people, and that the irregularities at St. HOPE were similar to those found at other nonprofits that were not suspended.

- Johnson's camp called the findings "relatively minor issues," and called Walpin, who was appointed to his post by President Bush, a "right-wing Republican." Johnson's campaign cited a 2005 incident in which Walpin had introduced Mitt Romney at a meeting of the conservative Federalist Society, on whose board Walpin sits, by saying that Romney served as governor of a state, Massachusetts, run by the "modern-day KKK ... the Kennedy-Kerry Klan."

- On November 4, Johnson won the mayor's race 57-42 over Fargo.

- Two days later, US attorney McGregor Scott, a Bush appointee, announced that the investigation into the misuse of funds did not warrant criminal charges. Scott said he had asked Walpin's office to go back and conduct a line-by-line audit to help determine whether civil charges should be filed, implying that Walpin's probe had been insufficiently detailed.

- In March, 2009, a government consulting expert hired by the city of Sacramento concluded that Johnson's continuing disbarment from receiving federal funds was likely to prevent the city from getting federal stimulus dollars -- a finding Johnson quickly disputed.

- In April, the US Attorney's office announced a settlement with Johnson, which would involve Johnson, St. HOPE, and the other official repaying over $400,000 in grants it received, and would allow him to again receive federal money.

- That same month, the new acting US attorney, Lawrence Brown wrote a letter to a federal oversight body for inspectors general, asking it to review Walpin's work on the St. HOPE investigation. According to the AP, Brown wrote: "We also highlighted numerous questions and further investigation they needed to conduct, including the fact that they had not done an audit to establish how much AmeriCorps money was actually misspent."

- Then in May, Walpin submitted a "Special Report to Congress" that called the settlement "a farce" and declared that claiming it was in the government's interest "is an attempt to pull the wool over the public's eyes."

- And now we hear that Obama has decided to get rid of Walpin. In a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), White House Counsel Greg Craig referred to Brown's letter criticizing Walpin, and wrote, according to the AP: "We are aware of the circumstances leading to that referral and of Mr. Walpin's conduct throughout his tenure and can assure you that the president's decision was carefully considered."


So this is what it all sounds like to me-
Johnson and his non-profit ran a very loose operation, which deserved some kind of sanction. But Walpin's action, in publicly suggesting, without much apparent evidence, that Johnson might have committed a crime, and having Johnson barred from receiving federal funds, ultimately jeopardizing the fortunes of the city as a whole after Johnson became mayor -- was out of all proportion to the wrongdoing. (Thats especially true given that it could have affected the outcome of a closely fought election, which is exactly why the FBI has specific policies forbidding public comments about ongoing investigations during political campaign season.) Then, even once the relevant authorities had determined that no crime had been committed and agreed on an appropriate remedy, Walpin worked to undermine that agreement by appealing to Congress.

The White House should probably release more details beyond just referencing Brown's letter.

I think Obama had ample reason to do what he did.

[bnshphrd]

I think that you should NOT automatically be labeled a "right winger" just because you do not agree with the president.

[maxrule]

Originally Posted by Dickie4:20

I think Obama had ample reason to do what he did.

Did you also believe that Sarah Palin had the right to fire Walt Monegan?

Did you also believe that Bush had the legal right to fire a bunch of US attorneys?

I really think we are going to see some big time double standards applied here.

I have the feeling that this Administration and the media will try to do to this Walpin guy what was done to Ken Star if Walpin has a good case against Johnson as it appears that he does.

It is funny that investigators are labeled over zealous by the media when they implicate a Democrat president or policy, but they never say that when they nail anyone else.

Let me repeat what the IG found: Waste, duplication, ineffective spending, criminal background check lapses, and repeated violations of the grant rules. And they’re not doing anything about it.

Another recent IG report on Americorps waste by open-borders lobbying group, La Raza (”The Race”) spotlighted its failure to complete background checks and institute secure financial controls. And on and on and on.

And guess who’s meddling in these affairs? Yep, First Lady Michelle Obama:

Some decisions about CNCS are being made by First Lady Michelle Obama, according to service advocates (who asked not to be named). Last week, Mrs. Obama announced that her chief of staff, Jackie Norris, would move to CNCS as a senior adviser. Officials said yesterday that Norris is scheduled to arrive on June 22.

Who’s looking out for you now? Cronies, that’s who.

More on the First Lady’s role in installing Norris and intervening to help pick the next Americorps CEO:

First Lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, Jackie Norris, is being sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in what is both a White House shake-up and an indication of the first lady’s sway over the corporation that oversees AmeriCorps, Serve and Learn and the Senior Corps.

Observers believe Norris, whom Obama came to know early in the Iowa caucus campaign, was forced out of the White House so that long-time Obama friend Susan Sher could take over. But those same observers see her appointment as senior adviser to the corporation as an overall win for CNCS, believing that Norris still will have a straight line to the White House.

CNCS remains without a CEO after the withdrawal last month of Nike vice president Maria Eitel, even before her nomination went to the Senate. Although the corporation’s CEO must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, Michelle Obama reportedly has taken the lead in selecting the nominee.

Michelle Malkin » Obama’s Americorps scandal — and the First Lady’s meddling

[BrizzlyBear]

As the days go by I'm becoming more and more pissed off at what an idiot Obama is. I'm glad I didn't vote for him, but I'm happy grandpa McCain isn't in office either

[AK Infinity]

I know I'm going to be saying this again, but throwing reason at some of these blades is utterly pointless. The responses are almost always the same and ignore simple logic that even children can exercise. The future doesn't come without some travail or birth pangs if you will, but hopefully and eventually it will leave those with this narrow mentality forever in the past where they belong.

[Dickie4:20]

Originally Posted by bnshphrd

I think that you should NOT automatically be labeled a "right winger" just because you do not agree with the president.

I agree, but it was directed towards the right wingers in this thread.

[maxrule]

Originally Posted by AK Infinity

I know I'm going to be saying this again, but throwing reason at some of these blades is utterly pointless. The responses are almost always the same and ignore simple logic that even children can exercise. The future doesn't come without some travail or birth pangs if you will, but hopefully and eventually it will leave those with this narrow mentality forever in the past where they belong.

Obama is going to run all over you with that attitude.

He could bulldoze your house and have your entire family exiled to freaking Tristan da Cunha and who would stop him?

Certainly not like minded people with your point of view.

[Dickie4:20]

I love Max how you paint Obama as a great dictator, with secret police that will soon start rounding us up because we dont pray three times a day to him. Oh Great Father.

I mean this is America, of course their are some loonies who believe that, and there is also many many more that put blind faith into people like Pat Roberstson. Both are equally gulliable.


Im sorry but there does not seem to be any sort of penchant for gaft or corruption.
Lots of smoke but no flames.

I think he should of fired all of the Republicans appointed by Bush al lot sooner!

WALPIN, GERALD
NEW YORK,NY 10021 ROSENMAN & COLIN 8/7/00 $1,000 Lazio, Rick A (R)
WALPIN, GERALD
NEW YORK,NY 10021 ROSENMAN & COLIN 11/16/99 $1,000 Giuliani, Rudolph W (R)
WALPIN, GERALD
NEW YORK,NY 10021 ROSENMAN & COLIN 6/3/99 $1,000 Giuliani, Rudolph W (R)

Yes Mr. Walpin is a Republican.

Im just waiting for Mr. Walpin to show up on one, or maybe a few, Fox programs to carry on his jihad against Mr. Johnson and his vendetta agianst Obama for firing him.