Gerald Walpin Firing:
New Scandal & Scramble Details
Inspector General Gerald Walpin was fired in June in the aftermath of his investigation of misuse of AmeriCorps grant funds by Obama supporter Kevin Johnson. If you are unfamiliar with the story, Byron York has written some excellent articles on Walpin’s firing (links in this post).
Last Friday York had more news regarding a report issued by Senator Grassley and Representative Issa. Grassley is ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and Issa is the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. There are some grim allegations coming to light. From The Washington Examiner:
While probing the misuse of funds allegations, congressional investigators were told that Johnson made improper advances toward three young women at St. Hope. The report also alleges that Michelle Rhee, D.C.’s nationally-celebrated chancellor of schools and now Johnson’s fiancee, acted as a fixer for her future husband when she was on the St. Hope board of directors.
Robert Stacy McCain has more at The American Spectator (his emphasis):
Sexual abuse accusations by St. HOPE Academy students against Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson were apparently covered up, possibly with “hush money,” according to a 61-page report issued by congressional investigators.
Failure of school officials to report sexual abuse of minors violates California state law, investigative staff of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) noted in their report on the June firing of AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin….
From the Grassley-Issa report (PDF):
…While in Sacramento, Agents Wingers and Morales became aware of allegations of inappropriate contact between Johnson and three female St. HOPE students. Mr. Johnson’s attorney, Kevin Hiestand, approached at least one of the students describing himself only as “a friend of Johnson’s,” and “basically asked me to keep quiet.”
Erik Jones, the St. HOPE teacher who eventually reported one of the victim’s allegations to the police, resigned in protest over the way the matter was handled by the school. In his resignation letter, Jones wrote “St. HOPE sought to intimidate the student through an illegal interrogation and even had the audacity to ask me to change my story.” Another St. HOPE official, Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez, also left St. HOPE because of the way the allegations were handled.
Michelle Rhee, who is currently Chancellor of the District of Columbia Schools, was a St. HOPE board member at the time. According to Wong-Hernandez, Rhee learned of the allegations and played the role of a fixer, doing “damage control.” …
The report also states that this is not the first time allegations of inappropriate conduct have been made of Johnson. Another instance occurred in the 1990s.
Monday, in New documents: White House scrambled to justify AmeriCorps firing after the fact (via Hot Air), Byron York wrote:
Just hours after Sen. Charles Grassley and Rep. Darrell Issa released a report Friday on their investigation into the abrupt firing of AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin, the Obama White House gave the lawmakers a trove of new, previously-withheld documents on the affair. It was a twist on the now-familiar White House late-Friday release of bad news; this time, the new evidence was put out not only at the start of a weekend but also hours too late for inclusion in the report.
The new documents support the Republican investigators’ conclusion that the White House’s explanation for Walpin’s dismissal — that it came after the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, unanimously decided that Walpin must go — was in fact a public story cobbled together after Walpin was fired, not before….
Other than board chairman Alan Solomont, the Democratic mega-donor and Obama supporter who originally told the White House of his dissatisfaction with Walpin, “no member of the CNCS board had any substantive input about whether the removal of Gerald Walpin was appropriate,” according to the report. Only one other board member, vice-chairman Stephen Goldsmith, was even called by the White House, and that was on June 10, a few hours before Walpin was fired….
The new documents show the White House scrambling, in the days after the controversy erupted, to put together a public explanation for the firing. On June 11, less than 24 hours after Walpin received the call from Eisen, the board held a conference call. The next day, Ranit Schmelzer, who is part of the corporation’s press office, sent an email to board members giving them talking points to use if contacted by reporters seeking information about the matter….
The next day, June 13, after having instructed board members that the correct answer was to express support for the firing, the White House, for the first time, solicited the members’ actual views on the matter.
After Watergate, they said, It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up. Sometimes, however, it may be both.
__________
H/T: The Washington Examiner; Hot Air; The American Spectator; The Firing of the Inspector General for The Corporation for National and Community Service, Joint Staff Report, 111th Congress.
[1]
Ok so now we can add AmeriGate to the rest of the list from this year.
[2]
How very Chicago of them. Looks like Kevin will finally get his Johnson caught in the door.
[3]
Just finishing Greta’s interview with Sarah.
This has got to be one of Sarah’s best. She seemed at ease, confident in her answers, and most of all, knowledgeable.
[4]
ruh ro, sex scandals are always popular in the press and tabloids…
[5]
More flare drops.
[6]
Another pervert from the field of politics. Big news, no. This one’s a democrat.
Until the coverup.
Same $hit. Different day.
[7]
HA H AH AHAHAHAH AHA HAH AHA HAHA HA HAHA HA
Wait till you see Rasmussen today.
[8]
MI beat me to it… Drudge has the info but no link and Rasmussen does not have it up for anyone but his subscribers… (I need more money)
But, if this is correct… those who strongly disapprove outnumber the total approval, both strongly approve and the wishy, washy, “my mother said if you have nothing nice to day don’t say anything at all” crowd…lol, roflmao. Who says GOD does not answer prayers as this has been my same daily prayer for over a year and drip by drip, GOD is saving those of us who will save ourselves.
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Sorry Judy!
[10]
Were the House a little more balanced, the Walprin affair would be calling for a Special Prosecutor. But alas it is not. Ms Botox will simply say its not germane to the matters at hand. The press having long since lost any skills in investigative journalism will not even no where to begin.
Unless some FOIA request makes this whole affair glow white hot, its going to slip on by. Though Walprin may end up with a whole bucket of money should he move forward with some sort of wrongful discharge action. Payoff? You bet. But that’s life in the big leagues I guess.
[11]
The truly sad thing is simply this. The further Obama’s numbers sink is in relationship to the US sinking on his watch.
Example from Washington Post—
Joblessness for 16-to-24-year-old black men has reached Great Depression proportions — 34.5 percent in October, more than three times the rate for the general U.S. population. And last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment in the District, home to many young black men, rose to 11.9 percent from 11.4 percent, even as it stayed relatively stable in Virginia and Maryland.
[12]
This has been around in email form for a while. Figured I would put it up as a web page.
[13]
RAS:
45/54 (-15)
[14]
OT,
Could ClimateGate reach RICO status here?
[15]
3. vid?
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Oopps… read that too quickly the difference is 3% between the total approve and the strongly disapprove. 3% is the MOE. Now we know that there are at least 30% of true believers on the left who will continue to drink the kool-aid even after they watch their fellow drinkers vomit, foam at the mouth, and die painful deaths, they are forever lost. But we have another 12% I believe can be pulled away to a common sense, pragmatic conservative philosophy. Who is this 12%? The only age group where approval of Zero is higher than the disapprove is with the youth. Ah, and this group thought college was expensive … they will soon learn the cost of their youth and inexperience. In 2008, 24 million under 30 crowd voted at a 2 to 1 ratio for the Zero. Zero has only lost about 1.6 million of these folks to day. We still have to educate about another 3.4 million of these folks on the failed liberal ideology and why conservatism is the only path to success. Thankfully this week a huge plum was dropped (or should I say hacked) into our laps for accomplishing this goal. As these youthful hopey, dopey changers find out that global warming is a data manipulated lie the seed is planted for them to question the other lies they bought over the last few years. Ahhh… the natural progression of the maturing mind. Optimism springs forth and I have even seen the first winter snow….
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Great letter mutley.
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I want one of these!
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EPH–
Here’s the 4-part Palin interview, in order.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rMEGUyHfdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNcoB5g1j9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-CGaeWH0Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp6y180UfUA
[20]
Interesting analysis by Barone on KS-3, Moore’s district. I don’t however think that one lone CongressCritter is an indication of a trend. At least not yet. We see a bunch of other old lions ask for the gold watch them maybe.
[21]
booshkindoggin: “Looks like Kevin will finally get his Johnson caught in the door.”
SNAP!!
[22]
the Walpin firing has the potential to be Obama’s Watergate.
Mix:
- two parts corruption
- one part extra-marital sex
- one part bribery
- four parts abuse of power
- three parts lying & misdirection
- TEN parts cover-up
Stir SLOWLY…and bake for 3 months! Should be ready to serve just before the State of the Union address!
[23]
JR,
Sounds like a great cocktail. But like all cocktails, to be enjoyed they have to be served. As like in a subpoena. But that won’t happen unless a special prosecutor is ante’d up.
What do you think the % is of that happening? Keeping in mind that Rangel has more ethics charges against him than a 30yo street thug and still has his Ways and Means Chairmanship.
[24]
Dr. D., thanks for the ClimateGate article. It’s excellent.
Funny you should mention Rangel. I also thought of him when I was doing this post.
One thing I will say is that Senator Grassley has been livid about Walpin’s firing from day one. I don’t expect him to drop it. I was amazed at the actions of the WH. They were illegal. They did not follow the law regarding the firing of IGs. Said law was co-sponsored by Obama when he was a senator. I think that’s in the first post I did on Walpin. Byron York mentions it in one of his early articles.
It’s also astounding to me that Michelle Rhee, who is now Johnson’s fiance, is alleged to have been a fixer for his predatory ways. She’s now in charge of the D.C. school system!!!
Justrand’s thinking follows mine. This does have the potential to become Watergate. Watergate took quite a while to percolate before it all came to the surface. Just because this is being buried by the MSM now doesn’t mean it will stay this way. How ironic it is that the MSM that supposedly found their moral high ground at Watergate is now working hard to ignore any news that might harm this WH!
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JR and dd, the media, as usual, is missing in action.
Where are the Woodwards and Bernsteins wanting to write themselves into the history books.
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They’re probably on the web. I think their names this time are Byron York and Robert Stacy McCain.
York has been writing about this from day one. I’d bet he and Grassley have each other’s cell and home phone #’s.
[27]
Will History Repeat?
[28]
Byron York is good, INC, and thank you for putting this thread up.
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mullet, in summer of 1967 we visited my uncle who at the time was working in the Pentagon. I remember going to an outdoor Marine band concert on the Potomac by the Watergate building. At the time it didn’t mean anything but a building.
Watergate took from 1972-1974 to fully develop. My expectation is that Grassley and Issa won’t let this die.
You’re welcome for the thread, mullet. The news about Johnson and his fiance is big. Why an alleged sexual predator and a White House cover up isn’t news!!–but he’s a Democrat and an Obama man!
I use the word alleged, but honestly, three girls! That’s not one person with a vendetta. Also the fact that he’d already been accused in the 90s in another incident is a red flag.
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I hope not, INC. I would love to see Obama waving goodbye from the door of Marine One, on his way back to community organizing.
[31]
mullet, wouldn’t that be great!
(I added more to my comment above).
[32]
[3] – She messed up india-pakistan discussion in my view, I cringed, it could have been a worse anwser for sure, but it came off as quite naive about their history and the likely hood of any success in what she was saying.
[33]
INC, Mullet, JR,
Personally I hope I am dead wrong and that a SP is enabled and a Grand Jury convened. But if it happens I bet it does not take form till after the 2010 elections if the Reps win back the House.
INC, you are welcome on the link on ClimateGate. Woof, Woof! Over here!! Boing!