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 abused his authority and misused taxpayer money overseeing the Capitol complex. IE 11 is not supported. 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.". By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: American Digest, 3000 S. Hulen Street, Ste 124 #1064, Fort Worth, TX, 76109, US, https://americandigest.com. Based on that behavior, Blanton has also been accused of giving the impression that he was in law enforcement. Blanton was three years into a 10-year-long term. here for reprint permission. [1] He was sworn in on January 16, 2020.[7]. Blanton was nominated to a 10-year term by former President Donald Trump; he started the job in January 2020. Blanton, was grilled last week by members of the House Committee on Administration during a hearing to review a federal watchdog report. Blanton did himself few favors with his testimony to the House Administration Committee last week in which he admitted to being absent from the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. 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. 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. Meanwhile, the inspector general's report said Blanton's adult child called it "free gas" for her. Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house. Chairman Steil Calls on Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton to Resign pic.twitter.com/klFYGejkVv, House Admin. If you want the facts, then sign up below and join our movement for objective news: Get news from American Digest in your inbox. "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. He obviously President Joe Biden removed Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton from his post days after House lawmakers grilled him about his reported misuse of government resources. [3] Blanton is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering and a Certified Energy Manager. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, McCarthy tweeted Monday. hide caption. In the fall, an inspector general report accused Blanton of abuse of government property and wasting taxpayer dollars by allowing his family to drive a government-owned vehicle and taking the vehicle on out-of-town trips to South Carolina and Florida, according to 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. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. All of those elements played into the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill. 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. 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. Morelle called for Blantons resignation last week. ", "I wholeheartedly reject any assertation that I've engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country," Blanton said. It sure looks like he was derelict in his duties. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new Architect immediately.. The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisc. [9], As a result, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, an omnibus spending bill, included a clause in the AOC budget "That none of the funds appropriated or made available under this heading in this Act or any other Act, including previous Acts, may be used for a home-to-work vehicle for the Architect or a duly authorized designee". The White House terminated Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton's appointment on Monday. J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, was grilled by House Committee on Administration members last week. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. 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. I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country, he testified. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R 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. Updated February 13, 2023 at 7:24 PM ET. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately. Blanton said in last weeks hearing that his vehicle served as the Architect of the Capitols mobile command post during Jan. 6, 2021, during the Capitol attack, and did not go to the Capitol during the attack because there would have been next to no way to get onto this campus.. Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role.. 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 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. 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 Greg Nash/AP Blanton said in the hearing that he used the vehicle during an out-of-state family vacation because he was under the impression that I had to use that vehicle so he could have quick communication with the Capitol Police Board in case of any emergency. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds, and wasting taxpayer money. The Republican chairman of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, called for Blantons resignation after he engaged in an exchange with him. CNN President Joe Biden fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton on Monday following allegations that he misused government resources and was not J. Brett Blanton, the architect of the Capitol, speaks at the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 29. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, has been terminated, the White House said. "All PATRIOTS welcome," one of her posts proclaimed. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately, McCarthy said in a tweet on Monday. Mr. Morelle praised the White Houses decision to remove Mr. Blanton, calling it the right thing.. When asked if he had used a government vehicle for personal use, Blanton said that he wouldn't characterize his use of the vehicle as personal. - 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. "His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately.". Mr. Blanton was accused in the report of misrepresenting himself as a law enforcement officer, leading banned tours of the Capitol and misusing his government-issued vehicle. He was nominated by Trump on Dec. 9, 2019. The job of the Capitol architect is to manage the massive landmark and its surrounding grounds. He then served as Deputy Vice President for Engineering at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority which operates the Reagan National and Dulles International Airports. Blanton was appointed by former President Donald Trump but has been [5], President Donald Trump nominated Blanton on December 9, 2019, for a ten-year term as Architect of the Capitol. 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 Lawmakers are sounding the alarm after the CIA confirmed that China may be considering sending lethal arms to Russia. The Blanton familys use of agency vehicles added up to at least $12,434 in unreported, taxable noncash fringe benefits. 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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. WaPo: FBI resisted Mar-a-Lago raid, DoJ prosecutors demanded it. House lawmakers grilled Blanton over the report in a House Administrationhearinglast week, where Blanton pushed back on the report. There were aggressive calls for Blantons resignation immediately following the shocking violence that unfolded during the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The inspector generals report, released in October, said Blanton had misused his government vehicle by driving it to vacation destinations and allowing his family to use it for personal matters. The report noted that there was no official violation, but that these tours were not a good look. He has repeatedly abused taxpayer dollars. The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. WebPresident Joe Biden has fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton, the Western Journal reported. 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. Previous:McCarthy calls on the Architect of the Capitol to resign after damaging IG report. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately," said Steil. In Thursday's hearing, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle jumped on learning that Blanton was not physically present on Capitol grounds on the day of the insurrection, January 6, 2021. ", 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.. He said he was using his official vehicle at the mobile command post. The backdrop: The report found that Blanton serially misused government-issued vehicles for personal trips, and falsely identified himself as a law enforcement officer. He referred to it as "an alternate work site" and said having to switch vehicles would slow him down. [6] On December 12, 2019, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing on his nomination. Following the reports release, six Democrats who chair committees that oversee the AOC called for Blantons removal, explaining that, Based on the On February 13, 2023, President Joe Biden terminated Blanton's appointment as Architect of the Capitol.[2]. 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. The abuse of government property charge includes allowing special treatment for his family. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately," McCarthy wrote. "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. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday called on Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton to resign after damaging inspector general report last fall. 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, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC. Blanton did himself few favors with his testimony to the House Administration Committee last week in which he admitted to being absent from the Maybe Morelle forgot that Democrats lost control of the House. In Civil Engineering and a Certified Energy Manager command post longer lead the organization and must resign.! 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