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POPSGovernment watchdogs fear bill undermines them They remain puzzled about why Congress is moving to shift their status. “The question is: how is making someone political going to make them more independent?” said a source within the IG community. Combined with the Walpin firing, the legislation has left several IGs anxious about their positions in the Obama administration as they move forward with investigations of government waste and fraud. If the bill is enacted, there is concern in the IG community that if the IGs pushed too hard with ongoing probes, Obama would not appoint them to their current positions. “You put the two together and people get really nervous,” said the source.
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POPSA Brief History of White House Thuggery
"Keep up the heat" translated into Organizing for America/Democratic National Committee attack ads on moderate Democrats who have revolted against Obamacare's high costs and expansive government powers over medical decisions. Looks like there won't be a health care beer summit anytime soon. The CBO and the Blue Dogs got off easy compared to inspectors general targeted by Team Obama goons. Former AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin was slimed as mentally incompetent ("confused" and "disoriented") after blowing the whistle on several cases of community service tax fraud, including the case of Obama crony Kevin Johnson. Johnson is the NBA star turned Sacramento mayor who ran a federally funded nonprofit group employing AmeriCorps volunteers, who were exploited to perform campaign work for Johnson and to provide personal services (car washes, errands) to Johnson and his staff. Walpin filed suit last week to get his job back -- and to defend the integrity and independence
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POPSTwo IG Firings and One Double-Secret Probation Under Investigation Sen. Charles Grassley, R- Iowa, sent the letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner demanding information about a "dispute over certain Treasury documents" that he said were being "withheld" from Barofsky's office on a "specious claim of attorney-client privilege." A White House spokesman declined to comment, referring questions to the Treasury Department. Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said late Wednesday that the agency would read Grassley's letter and respond to the senator before any public comment. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-tc-nw-inspectors-0617-0618jun18,0,5718990.story We are seeing a pattern, no longer just a single data point. IGs work independently to protect taxpayers from corruption and abuse from its own government agencies. A coordinated attack on IGs certainly suggests hostility to that mission, which isn’t the Hope and Change Obama promised on the campaign trail. Yep.
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POPSGerald Walpin speaks: The inside story of the AmeriCorps firing The Inspector General is supposed to be a watchdog for the Tax payers. Why is Obama firing him? I thought Obama wanted to find waste in gov't and eliminate it. I thought Obama wanted transparency. Nice to know that with Billions of taxpayer money that the Taxpayers watchdogs are being neutered or eliminated.
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POPSObama Broke Law Firing AmeriCorps IG The text of Grassley’s letter to the President: Dear Mr. President: I was troubled to learn that last night your staff reportedly issued an ultimatim to the Americorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin that he had one hour to resign or be terminated. As you know, Inspectors General were created by Congress as a means to combat waste, fraud, and abuse and to be independent watchdogs ensuring that federal agencies were held accountable for their actions. Inspectors General were designed to have a dual role reporting to both the President and Congress so that they would be free from undue political pressure. This independence is the hallmark of all Inspectors General and is essential so they may operate independently, without political pressure or interference from agencies attempting to keep their failings from public scrutiny.
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