brett blanton resignation22 Apr brett blanton resignation
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.. Blanton reportedly allowed the vehicle to be operated by his adult daughter and his wife against regulations while the American taxpayers footed the bill. U.S. Capitol Architect, Brett Blanton, remains under scrutiny after an intense House of Administration hearing, last Thursday. Last year, a handful of lawmakers called for Blantons resignation, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the head of the Rules Committee, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who led the Administration Committee at the time. "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 report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds and wasting taxpayer money. No Architect has ever been removed by Congress, but the Senate is considering legislation that would clarify that the position is subject to impeachment. Ranking Democrat Rep. Joe Morelle of New York questioned why he remained in the mobile command center. Blanton appeared before the House Administration Committee last Thursday after he was the subject of an explosive inspector general report in October that highlighted a series of alleged abuses of the office. The White House terminated Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton's appointment on Monday. The result was mixed, Majority of voters, plurality of Democrats say Biden is too old to run again, *Gulp* Finland is building a wall on Russia's border, Maher on CNN: If its Biden against Trump, Biden will win thats a good bet", George Santos' CNN Response Is a Master Troll Move, Biden owns border critics with chuckling reminder this mom's sons died of fentanyl overdoses in 2020, Shock Report: FBI Agents Did Not Want to Raid Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Blanton's incompetency is a danger to his office, and I join @RepJoeMorelle to call for his immediate resignation," Torres tweeted. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately," said Steil. "He should resign, or President Biden should remove him immediately," the California Republican added. The Architect was not on-site during the riot, but worked out of his government car. "His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately.". 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. Shortly after McCarthys tweet, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), the chairman of the House Administration Committee, joined calls for Blanton's resignation. Blanton was Morelle and ranking member Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) on the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight each called on Blanton to step down Thursday after the hearing. Based on that behavior, Blanton has also been accused of giving the impression that he was in law enforcement. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new Architect immediately, he said. An inspector general report released in October found that Blanton and his family had misused Architect of the At the hearing, Blanton said he was frustrated by the current distraction created by the inspector generals report.. However, there surely are many more in the D.C. swamp doing what Blanton did without facing consequences. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He was confirmed by a voice vote in the Republican-led Senate 10 days later. 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. Why? Emails are serviced by Constant Contact. Is this the first termination that Biden has carried out? In his opening statement he had noted that the AOC vehicle is to allow the architect to support the Capitol in a remote capacity, and that "it is inaccurate to characterize the state of the vehicle is only for home to work purposes.". Still no explanation [], The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesdays briefing on on the classified materials seized at President Bidens home and office and former President Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate left much to be desired. The Gang of Eight, the top four leaders in Congress and the chairmen and vice chairmen of the Senate []. One big strike against Blanton was the fact that he was not physically present on the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021. Greg Nash/AP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R [1] He was sworn in on January 16, 2020.[7]. 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. McCarthy joins House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and ranking member Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) in calling for the resignation of the Architect of the Capitol, who oversees the Capitol complexs building maintenance, preservation and development. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Blanton rebutted that he had identified himself as a member of the Capitol Police Board, which he is, and not an officer. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, "PN1324 - Nomination of J. Brett Blanton for Congress of the United States, 116th Congress (2019-2020)", "Biden Fires Architect Of The Capitol Over Alleged Abuse Of Power", "Airport engineer nominated to be next Architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.", "J. Brett Blanton Nominated as Architect of the Capitol", "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts", 2021-0011-INVI-P J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol, Abused His Authority, Misused Government Property and Wasted Taxpayer Money, Among Other Substantiated Violations, Federal watchdog accuses Architect of the Capitol of ethics violations over offer to give patriots tours, "J. Brett Blanton on track to become next architect of the Capitol", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brett_Blanton&oldid=1139250130, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 04:19. Did You Ever Wonder How and Why the Left Is Able to Push Their Narratives Almost Unhindered? James Brett Blanton is an American professional engineer who served as Architect of the Capitol (AOC) from January 2020 until February 13, 2023 overseeing the office of the Architect of the Capitol and its more than 2,400 employees. I will say that the report is filled with errors, omissions, mischaracterizations, misstatements and conclusionary statements lacking evidence.". Blanton was the only member of the Capitol Police Board who still had a job after the Jan. 6 riot. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately. ), the chair of the panel, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined Morelle in demanding Blantons ouster on Monday, making the calls bipartisan. This was all while the government was footing the bill for her travels. Democratic lawmakers are calling for the resignation of J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, over a scathing federal watchdog report that found he abused his Haley Talbot is an associate producer in the NBC News Washington bureau. 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. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, McCarthy said in a tweet on Monday. here for reprint permission. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Biden fired the Architect of the Capitol among bipartisan calls for his resignation. R-Wisconsin, also called on Blanton to immediately resign. Rep. Gregory Murphy (R-N.C.) took issue with the Architect of the Capitols office having a telework policy, though Blanton said he is now going to the Capitol effectively every day of the week., It absolutely blows me away, Murphy said, why Blanton as Architect of the Capitol Architect of the Capitol why you are not here physically every day, all day.. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. 2023 - The American Digest - All Rights Reserved, Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton fired by Joe Biden after Kevin McCarthy demanded resignation, Watchdog group finds Capitol Police and FBI ignored "credible threats" prior to Jan. 6th riot at the Capitol, Elizabeth Warren's CFPB to have fate determined by Supreme Court, Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces resignation from the Biden administration, Up to 14 million will lose Medicaid coverage over next 12 months, After leaving the GOP,87-year-old New Jersey state senator abandons his reelection bid, Ted Cruz says Dr. Fauci will be responsible for future pandemic deaths, Don Lemon removed from key hosting role by CNN after Haley remarks. "Since I have only had the opportunity to read the Inspector General's summary report, I can only speak to the language that I have seen. Morelle called for Blantons resignation last week. "I am outraged that you would be in a comfortable place while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day, outrageous that you were not here," she said. The report is filled with errors, omissions, mischaracterizations, misstatements and conclusory statements lacking evidence.. Blanton also stated that on January 6 he was using his official vehicle as the Architect of the Capitol's mobile command post. Blanton said it "would have been not prudent" to drive to the Capitol that day because of the crowds,and he told the panel of lawmakers that he instead used the car as his "mobile command center" during the attack. "All PATRIOTS welcome," one of her posts proclaimed. Biden ousted Brett Blanton, the previous capitol architect, earlier this month after an inspector generals report found that he misused his authority. The move comes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) urged the president to oust Blanton on Monday, contending that he lost faith in him. Blanton was appointed by former President Donald Trump and remained in the job when Biden came into office. I wholeheartedly reject any assertion I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country, he said. President Biden on Monday fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton following allegations that he misrepresented himself as a law enforcement "Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role.". "After doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the President's direction," the White House official said. "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 that's attached to it? Blanton was appointed in 2019 by President Donald Trump to a ten-year term. 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. President Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton, a White House official told NBC News on Monday, in the wake of a report that said he had J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, was grilled by House Committee on Administration members last week. ", The call was echoed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who tweeted that Blanton "no longer has my confidence to continue in his job.. The report also said Blanton mischaracterized his government position, at one point chasing down a vehicle that was described as having been involved in a hit-and-run and misrepresenting himself as a law enforcement official. Blantons refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the agency and must resign immediately, House Administration Committee chairman Bryan Steil added. [6] On December 12, 2019, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing on his nomination. An inspector generalreportreleased in October found that Blanton and his family had misused Architect of the Capitol vehicles intended for home-to-work use as personal vehicles, resulting in nearly $14,000 worth of inappropriate costs. Unethical behavior during my service to this country, he said hearing on his nomination surely many! Biden ousted Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job McCarthy ( R [ ]... Gang of Eight, the previous Capitol Architect, earlier this month after intense... Still had a job after the Jan. 6 riot four leaders in Congress and the chairmen vice! Nash/Ap House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ( R [ 1 ] he was sworn in on January 6, 2021 on-site. 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