The responsibilities of his job include overseeing the Capitols property management and operations, and as one of three board members, he oversees the U.S. Capitol Police. CAPITOL HILL'S TOP MANAGER FACING MISCONDUCT HEARING FOR ALLEGED MISUSE OF POSITION. Bill would get rid of the Democratic Party in Fla. Senate urged to tackle climate change, sea level, Twitter reverses suspension of Mike Lees personal, Senate Intel leaders say Gang of Eight briefing on, US warns China not to supply weapons to Russia, Fight at basketball playoff game caught on camera, Senate approves bill to lock the clock on DST, Multiple car windows smashed at Wiley Post Airport, Student attacks aide for taking Nintendo, deputies. I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agencys culture to promote a positive workplace for every AOC employee, Blanton said. Another incident involving the official vehicle occurred in 2020 when Blanton allegedly chased down a vehicle "involved in a hit-and-run incident that took place in front of his residence" using the SUV. Driving the news: Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) praised the Biden administration for terminating Blanton. House lawmakers grilled Blanton over the report in a House Administrationhearinglast week, where Blanton pushed back on the report. The board and its structure, as well as its ability to quickly authorize outside assistance during emergencies, came under scrutiny after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He came under fire after an inspector general report found 'administrative, ethical, and policy violations'. Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house. I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country, he testified. Blanton reportedly allowed the vehicle to be operated by his adult daughter and his wife against regulations while the American taxpayers footed the bill. Chairman Steil Calls on Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton to Resign pic.twitter.com/klFYGejkVv, House Admin. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also called for Blanton's dismissal Monday. Please show us the Experts Clause of the Constitution, Justices Sotomayor and Kagan, Jon Stewart to the Left, media: Told you so about the lab leak, St. Louis newspaper publishes response to gender clinic worker's story. After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the President has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position a decision I firmly stand behind, said Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee. I will say that the report is filled with errors, omissions, mischaracterizations, misstatements and conclusionary statements lacking evidence.". President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country, Blanton said in the hearing. Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton was fired by President Biden Monday for a series of ethical violations, including his not being present on the grounds during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. [4] He retired from the Navy in 2015. The driver turned out to be Blanton's daughter, who also "made obscene gestures toward" the complainant "while at the stop sign outside the parking garage." When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. President Biden fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton Monday after lawmakers from both sides of the aisle demanded he resign or be fired. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, Mr. McCarthy tweeted Monday. I am outraged to hear that you were be in a comfortable place, sir, while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day, Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) said during the hearing, saying that a police officer could not close or lock a door because he did not have the keys. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. He added that the Architect of the Capitol's "refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately.". WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) today issued the following statement calling on Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton to immediately resign: The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) plays a key role in preserving The Inspector Generals report was highly concerning, Steil said. An Inspector General report released in October 2022 found that Blanton and his family improperly used agency vehicles, taking them to West Virginia, Florida, and South Carolina. 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President Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, the Western Journal reported. hide caption. "After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the President has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position a decision I firmly stand behind," Morelle said in a statement. The vehicle was driven for some 30,000 miles despite limitations to use for official work only. It sure looks like he was derelict in his duties. In another instance, he called himself an "agent" after he got in an accident at a brewery while using the vehicle on vacation, the report found. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), the ranking member on the House Administration Committee, welcomed Blanton's ouster. - CNN has reached out to the office of the Architect of the Capitol for response to McCarthy's call for Blanton's resignation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Blanton was CNN President Joe Biden fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not ", "I wholeheartedly reject any assertation that I've engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country," Blanton said. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately. He was the only member of the board who did not resign or lose The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. Torres called for Blantons resignation shortly after the hearing. Did You Ever Wonder How and Why the Left Is Able to Push Their Narratives Almost Unhindered? Blanton earned his Master of Science from Virginia Tech in Ocean Engineering and his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1993. [1] He was sworn in on January 16, 2020.[7]. I look forward to continuing to conduct robust oversight to ensure our government is accountable to the American people, Steil said in a statement on Monday. The Republican chairman of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, called for Blantons resignation after he engaged in an exchange with him. "As Ranking Member of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, I found Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton's answers at today's hearing appalling. A White House official confirmed the decision, telling Axios: [A]fter doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the president's direction.. Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., called on Blanton to resign Monday, saying in a statement that his "refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clearthat he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately. NBC News has asked Blanton's office for comment. The big picture: An inspector general report last year accused Brett Blanton, who was appointed by former President Trump, Committee members characterized his performance as evasive, and Morelle responded by calling for his resignation. He previously called for Blanton to be terminated. Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Inspector General. He wasnt able to drive there. Blanton defended his absence on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, because, he said, there were too many people on the grounds. Even House Democrats think its time for Blanton to go, the tweet read. You can see things didnt go well for Blanton. Action-backed rhetoric fuels uncandidate DeSantis' launch strategy, I asked ChatGPT to invent a new cocktail. If you need to be tethered, and if you needed a vehicle to be here, why did you make the decision not to come here and could you not have without the vehicle and all the emergency equipment thats attached to it? Blanton was appointed to the role by former President Donald Trump in 2019. Ranking Democrat Rep. Joe Morelle of New York questioned why he remained in the mobile command center. However, a report from the Office of the Inspector General uncovered several troubling things about Blanton that have led to calls for President Joe Biden to remove him. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle jumped on that. An inspector general report released in October found that Blanton and his family had misused Architect of the It said he committed "administrative, ethical and policy violations," including misuse of a government-issued vehicle and falsely giving the impression that he was a member of law enforcement. Click Blanton said he was monitoring developments remotely during the Jan. 6 riot. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. "The Inspector Generals report was highly concerning," Steil said. [6] On December 12, 2019, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing on his nomination. In his opening statement, Blanton told the committee that he was "frustrated" with the OIG's report, which he said follows what he called a "predetermined" narrative based on what he considers "picked facts. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisc. The president fired Blanton after the White House did "due diligence," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Blanton, was grilled last week by members of the House Committee on Administration during a hearing to review a federal watchdog report. Spokane, Washington Est. WebPresident Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, the Western Journal reported. "The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton was fired by President Biden Monday for a series of ethical violations, including his not being present on the grounds during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The architect of the Capitol is tasked with maintaining and operating Capitol grounds, according to AOC.gov. Twitter reversed the suspension of Sen. Mike Lees (R-Utah) personal account on Wednesday afternoon, hours after it was locked for unknown reasons. Lee appeared to regain access to his @BasedMikeLee account around 2:30 p.m., when users were able to see his Tweets once again. Thanks to all who assisted in operation #Free@basedMikeLee. Blanton was appointed by former President Donald Trump but has been He was confirmed by a voice vote in the Republican-led Senate 10 days later. Ill note that it appears that Rep. Morelle is taking credit for Blantons termination. Shortly after McCarthys tweet, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), the chairman of the House Administration Committee, joined calls for Blanton's resignation. Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone?," Morelle asked Blanton. Biden terminated Blanton after bipartisan calls for his firing or resignation were sounded by members of Congress, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday. "All PATRIOTS welcome," one of her posts proclaimed. Some experts believe Congress has the authority to impeach Blanton, but others, including Steil, believe his ouster would require executive action since the Capitol architect is a position appointed by the president. Blanton was the only member of the Capitol Police Board who still had a job after the Jan. 6 riot. "You would have to address that with members of my family," Blanton responded. After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the President has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position a decision I firmly stand behind, Mr. Morelle said in a statement. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. "Offering private tours of the U.S. Capitol creates the appearance of impropriety and using a public position for private gain, which is a violation of AOC policy," the report said. The inspector general's report was released last fall, but Blanton found himself in the hot seat again last week during a House Administration Committee hearing, where he told lawmakers that he wasn't on the grounds during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. On February 13, 2023, President Joe Biden terminated Blanton's appointment as Architect of the Capitol.[2]. Calls for Mr. Blantons resignation grew since a contentious House hearing last week on the allegations of mismanagement highlighted in an October inspector generals report. The inspector general found that Blanton's wife made "multiple social media posts" about the tours. Blanton denied misrepresenting himself as law enforcement, saying that it was a mistake on the part of Fairfax County Police after Blanton identified himself a Capitol Police Board Member.. Why? He has repeatedly abused taxpayer dollars.Even House Democrats think its time for Blanton to go. 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