UPDATED WASHINGTON — The firing of Gerald Walpin, who was a government inspector general for AmeriCorps and other programs in the Corporation for National and Community Service, has generated a great deal of interest in recent days.
Critics have argued that Walpin was doing his job as internal auditor when he investigated Kevin Johnson, a former professional basketball player and a prominent Barack Obama supporter who runs a nonprofit education group.
Was that the reason Walpin is out of work? The Obama administration had said nothing to deflect the criticism since a letter last week saying that he no longer had the “fullest confidence” in Walpin.
On Tuesday, Sen. Claire McCaskill, a former Missouri state auditor who works closely with IGs in the federal government, issued a statement critical of the termination. Her statement didn’t mention the controversy surrounding the former NBA star but noted that she had authored a law requiring that IGs be given 30 days advance notice of dismissal along with the casue for termination.
“The White House has failed to follow the proper procedure in notifying Congress as to the removal” of Walpin, wrote McCaskill, a Democrat.
“Loss of confidence is not a sufficient reason. I’m hopeful the White House will provide a more substantive rationale, in writing, as quickly as possible,” she concluded.
The White House did just that.
Yesterday, McCaskill reversed herself after saying that the White House had provided new information in a letter to ranking members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The letter alleged that Walpin had been “confused, disoriented and unable to answer questions” at a board meeeting and had demanded to work at home and engaged in other inappropriate behavior.
“The reasons given in the most recent White House letter are substantial and the decision to remove Walpin appears well-founded,” McCaskill said in a follow-up statement, suggesting that Congress might review what happened.
“She still does want more information,” added McCaskill’s press secretary Maria Speiser.