I didn’t know about this office when I offered to be Bush’s and Trumps – Art Buddy! I would have been there – defending the Capitol Architecture.
John The Art Buddy
Blanton also enraged lawmakers when he acknowledged he did not respond in-person to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump’s supporters breached the building.
“I am 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,” Rep. Norma Torres, a California Democrat, told Blanton. “Outrageous that you were not here.”
The inspector general’s report further alleged that Blanton’s wife offered tours of the Capitol while it was closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architect_of_the_Capitol
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of the legislative branch of the federal government[1] and is accountable to the United States Congress and the Supreme Court.[2] Both the agency and the head of the agency are called “Architect of the Capitol”. The head of the agency is appointed to a 10-year term by the President of the United States, confirmed by the United States Senate,[3] and is accountable to the President.[4]
Joe Biden
- Brett Blanton
Melissa Quinn
Mon, February 13, 2023 at 12:33 PM PST·3 min read
In this article:
- Brett BlantonAmerican professional engineer
Washington — President Biden on Monday fired the architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, who came under scrutiny by lawmakers after his agency’s internal watchdog alleged he misused government resources and wasted taxpayer dollars.
“After doing our due diligence, the Architect of the Capitol was terminated at the president’s direction,” a White House official confirmed to CBS News.
Blanton was informed of his termination, effective at 5 p.m., in a letter Monday from Gautam Raghavan, assistant to the president for presidential personnel. The role is subject to removal by the president.
His dismissal came after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Bryan Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, called for his resignation. McCarthy said Blanton “no longer has my confidence to continue in his job
https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-10-1/html/r-sf-flx.html
New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the Administration panel, praised Mr. Biden’s decision to fire Blanton.
“President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action,” he said in a statement.
As architect of the Capitol, Blanton was the top official tasked with overseeing the Capitol complex’s facilities, operations, historical artifacts and grounds. He was appointed to the role by former President Donald Trump for a 10-year term and confirmed by the Senate in 2019.
Blanton testified before an Administration Committee panel last week and fielded questions from members about the findings of an investigation into his conduct by the architect of the Capitol’s inspector general published in October 2022. The inspector general’s report detailed how Blanton abused his authority, misused government property and wasted taxpayer dollars, including by allowing members of his family to use three different government-owned vehicles assigned to him.
While the vehicles were meant to be driven to and from work by Blanton, the review discovered that the cars were used for weekend trips to a craft brewery, going out of town and general family use. The vehicles were driven by his wife and adult daughter “on a regular basis,” according to the inspector general’s report.
Blanton’s daughter told investigators that she transported her friends and boyfriend in the government-issued vehicle, and referred to using the fuel as “free gas,” according to the report.
In one instance in June 2020, Blanton used his government-issued Jeep Grand Cherokee to go after a suspect involved in a hit-and-run that took place near his house. The police report from the incident, which involved the boyfriend of Blanton’s daughter, identified him as an “off-duty police officer.”
During his appearance before the Administration Committee on Thursday, Blanton blamed his wife and daughter for using the vehicles and urged lawmakers to raise their concerns about the vehicle usage with them.
Blanton also enraged lawmakers when he acknowledged he did not respond in-person to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump’s supporters breached the building.
“I am 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,” Rep. Norma Torres, a California Democrat, told Blanton. “Outrageous that you were not here.”
The inspector general’s report further alleged that Blanton’s wife offered tours of the Capitol while it was closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden fires Architect of the Capitol amid report he abused his office, impersonated a cop
Peter Weber, Senior editor
https://news.yahoo.com/biden-fires-architect-capitol-amid-061044043.html
President Biden fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton on Monday, three years into his 10-year term, after reviewing a report by the office’s inspector general that accused Blanton of abuses of office, the White House said. The report, issued in October, said Blanton and his family used his government vehicle as their personal car, and accused Blanton of impersonating a police officer.
Blanton was appointed by former President Donald Trump, but there was broad bipartisan support for his dismissal. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) joined those calling for his exit on Monday.
The Architect of the Capitol manages operations and preservation of the Capitol building and grounds, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress, overseeing a federal agency with about 2,400 workers. The architect also sits on the board of the Capitol Police. Blanton’s job got significantly more tenuous after a Feb. 9 House Administration Committee hearing at which he defended not coming to work at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a “prudent” decision “because of the security situation” at the besieged Capitol.
Lawmakers said Blanton also failed to adequately address the allegations in the inspector general’s report, which found “administrative, ethical, and policy violations,” as well as “evidence of criminal violations.” During the hearing, Blanton said he “wholeheartedly” rejected “any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior” in “this particular role,” and said the inspector general’s report was “filled with errors,” though he also said he did not read the entire thing.
The Oct. 26, 2022, report said Blanton used his official car for errands and family vacations, and let his wife and adult daughter drive it when he wasn’t present. The daughter “transported both her friends and boyfriend in the vehicle and referred to using the AOC’s fuel as ‘free gas,'” the report said. Blanton also used his work vehicle’s emergency lights and siren to chase down a vehicle he believed hit his daughter’s boyfriend’s car, and identified himself as “law enforcement,” the driver’s lawyer said, though Blanton denied doing so. Blanton’s credentials “specifically do not delegate law enforcement authority,” the report said.
Replacing Blanton will involve “a long and arduous process that could take months or years,” Politico reports. Ordinarily, the deputy architect would take over in the interim, but that position is currently vacant, so the chief of operations — Joseph DiPietro, who began the job Monday — will fill the void.
Rosamond Press 