Beacon Street Journal

Obama’s firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin without cause could become a burgeoning scandal for the new Administration. Walpin was investigating the misuse of AmeriCorp funds by a nonprofit agency in Sacramento headed by Obama friend and supporter Kevin Johnson. During the course of his investigation, Walpin discovered that Johnson had dispersed significant funds to individuals who were providing personal services for him: washing his car, running errands, etc.

Walpin blows the whistle on the scam, and was summarily fired by Obama — no reason was given for the perfunctory dismissal.

The mainstream media is ignoring the story, perhaps because it is yet another example of the large gap between the false promises of the Obama Administration and its actual deeds (see, e.g., hiring of people who don’t pay their taxes).

The enabling legislation which created the Inspector General’s Office, a bill incidentally, which Obama co-sponsored in the Senate, requires that Congress be given thirty-days prior notice before the president terminates any Inspector General. Additionally, Inspector General’s cannot be fired without cause. The unambiguous statutory provisions are obvious: they were drafted to insure the independence of the position and to prohibit the removal of any Inspector General for purely political reasons.

In an imperious display of executive abuse of power, Obama, the former Constitutional Law lecturer and self-appointed practitioner of the “New Politics”, wantonly violated the statute. Even Senator Claire McCaskill, an ardent Obama supporter, wanted to know why the president didn’t follow the explicit requirements of the statute.

In a belated attempt at damage control, Obama is now in the process of smearing the character of Gerald Walpin, claiming after the fact, that the 78 year old former Inspector General was somehow senile and incompetent. His attempt at character assassination to justify his indefensible action, will serve as a reminder for those who may have forgotten, the corrupt milieu in which Obama gained his foothold in politics. It’s the Chicago way.

Although Senator McCaskill appears satisfied with the reasons now given in support of Walpin’s dismissal, Byron York reports that White House counsel Norman Eisen has not been forthcoming in response to questions about the circumstances surrounding the abrupt termination from investigators of Senator Charles Grassley’s office. Both the circumstances surrounding the termination, as well as its timing, are highly suspect. Walpin was in a position to embarrass a prominent Obama supporter over his dereliction in the misuse of AmeriCorps funds. Before he could report his findings, Obama fires Walpin, offering no reasons in support of his decision. Obama’s initial action was clearly in violation of the Inspector General statute. When this unpleasant matter was called to his attention, Obama now alleges Walpin was senile and appeared confused. Why then didn’t he simply assert these claims initially in his termination letter so as to comply with the law?

In terms of actually practicing what he preaches, this sordid incident also reveals, yet again, the manifestation of a classic Obama trait: do as I say, not as I do.

Update: Is there a pattern emerging within the Obama Administration of dismissing taxpayer watchdogs?