He should resign or President Biden should remove him If you want the facts, then sign up below and join our movement for objective news: Get news from American Digest in your inbox. However, there surely are many more in the D.C. swamp doing what Blanton did without facing consequences. Blanton was three years into a 10-year-long term. J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, speaks at the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 29. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds, and wasting taxpayer money. Zoom out: The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the Capitol and its surrounding grounds, which includes the House and Senate office buildings. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately," said Steil. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. The Inspector Generals report was highly concerning, Steil said. "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. Im outraged that you would 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, Democratic California Rep. Norma Torres said at the hearing. - Democratic New York Rep. Joe Morelle, ranking member of the House Administration Committee, confirmed the firing in a statement. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe link, found at the bottom of every email. "If I'm at Home Depot and something happens, there would be a delayed response getting to the Capitol," Blanton told lawmakers. One big strike against Blanton was the fact that he was not physically present on the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021. Joe Biden should immediately FIRE AOC Blanton. Blanton was dismissed months after an inspector generals report substantiated claims that he had abused his authority. The White House fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton on Monday following complaints from a bipartisan group of Congress-members and the threat of impeachment. 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. Action-backed rhetoric fuels uncandidate DeSantis' launch strategy, I asked ChatGPT to invent a new cocktail. Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the Senate. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), the ranking member on the House Administration Committee, welcomed Blanton's ouster. Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone? Morelle asked Blanton. Chairman Steil Calls on Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton to Resign pic.twitter.com/klFYGejkVv, House Admin. President Biden on Monday fired the Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton after a report alleged he abused his office. here for reprint permission. 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Marjorie Taylor Greene: Isnt she, Fight in high school classroom leaves one dead, one, School culture wars fuel top House GOP bill, Product safety commission requests information on, House Democrats gather to chart path toward 2024. The Architect was not on-site during the riot, but worked out of his government car. During the pandemic, Blanton reportedly gave tours of the U.S. Capitol despite the official closure of the building to the public. 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. 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. ), the chair of the panel, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined Morelle in demanding Blantons ouster on Monday, making the calls bipartisan. The vehicle was driven for some 30,000 miles despite limitations to use for official work only. 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. Blanton maintained at last weeks hearing that he needed to take the car with him on personal errands and vacations in case he needed to return to the Capitol or respond to an emergency, because it was equipped with certain communications devices. Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil, the Republican heading the committee, asked if Blanton had impersonated a law enforcement officer, as alleged in the report. 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. Never use the company vehicle for personal business. "We took a look at the whole situation, having dealt with this guy for a while, and I think the president made the right decision, he said. A White House official said, After doing our due diligence, the Architect of the Capitol was terminated at the Presidents direction. Sleepy Joe has been busy lately giving orders shooting down balloons or objects out of the sky, and now ordering the termination of an employee. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds and wasting taxpayer money. NPR's Scott Detrow contributed to this report. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, McCarthy tweeted Monday. Blanton was appointed in 2019 by President Donald Trump to a ten-year term. "After doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the President's direction," the White House official said. Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house. A White House official told CNN that Biden terminated Blanton on Monday following bipartisan calls for his resignation, echoed that day by House Speaker Kevin The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. here for reprint permission. The report also found that Blanton had been improperly identified as an off-duty police officer during an incident when he chased down a hit-and-run that happened outside his residence. 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. 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 At the hearing, Blanton said he was frustrated by the current distraction created by the inspector generals report.. He was confirmed by a voice vote in the Republican-led Senate 10 days later. The big picture: An inspector general report last year accused Brett Blanton, who was appointed by former President Trump, of abusing his authority. "The Inspector General's report was highly concerning, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC," Steil said. Mr. Blanton's incompetency is a danger to his office, and I join @RepJoeMorelle to call for his immediate resignation," Torres tweeted. 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. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new architect immediately, Morelle said. "The Inspector Generals report was highly concerning," Steil said. Lawmakers are sounding the alarm after the CIA confirmed that China may be considering sending lethal arms to Russia. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately," McCarthy wrote. 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. The White House terminated Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton's appointment on Monday. Blanton was the only member of the Capitol Police Board who still had a job after the Jan. 6 riot. Steil also called for Blanton to resign Monday. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, the speaker tweeted Monday. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. Blanton defended his absence on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, because, he said, there were too many people on the grounds. President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. Blanton was The committee hearing was to review an inspector general report. The Inspector Generals report was highly concerning, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC. President Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, the Western Journal reported. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. 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? The report is filled with errors, omissions, mischaracterizations, misstatements and conclusory statements lacking evidence.. The AOC IG report also details a minor accident involving Blanton at a Virginia brewery involving another driver who backed into the government SUV while it was improperly parked. R-Wisconsin, also called on Blanton to immediately resign. "The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted Monday. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisc. 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. Morelle called for Blantons resignation last week. President Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton, who was responsible for maintaining the U.S. Capitol, amid mounting allegations of ethics violations. Other members, including the ranking Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, jumped on the admission by Blanton to question why he remained in the "mobile command center.". "Blanton told the other party involved that it was a government vehicle, he was an 'agent' and he did not have insurance information because the government would handle the insurance claim," according to the report. He said he was using his official vehicle at the mobile command post. Committee members characterized his performance as evasive, and Morelle responded by calling for his resignation. 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.. 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.". The misuse of the government vehicle resulted in "no less than $13,926.56 as net questioned costs," the report found. 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, he said. hide caption. The Capitols architect oversees the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the U.S. Capitol complex. He referred to it as "an alternate work site" and said having to switch vehicles would slow him down. On February 13, 2023, President Joe Biden terminated Blanton's appointment as Architect of the Capitol.[2]. He previously called for Blanton to be terminated. "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 Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on the impact of climate change and sea level rise on coastal communities as lawmakers reach an impasse on addressing the problem. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, Mr. McCarthy tweeted Monday. Copyright 2023 HotAir.com/Salem Media. Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone?," Morelle asked Blanton. Doctors prescribe Ozempic off label: Is that OK? Based on the conduct alleged by the Inspector General and todays testimony, I am no longer confident in Mr. Blantons ability to effectively perform the duties of his office. The Washington Times All Rights Reserved. The committees top Democrat, Rep. Joseph D. Morelle of New York, also called for Mr. Blanton to step down. 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. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also called for Blanton's dismissal Monday. 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. President Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol J. 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