President Biden has fired J. Brett Blanton as the Architect of the Capitol after an internal inspection found that he misused funds and abused his power.
Biden sent Trump’s pick packing:
2) Position is nominated by the President and subject to Senate confirmation. But the President can fire the Architect of the Capitol even though the position is housed in a different branch of government.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 13, 2023
The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the Capitol Building.
Roll Call reported in 2022, “A searing report from the Architect of the Capitol inspector general suggests Architect J. Brett Blanton drove to Florida on the government’s dime, let his daughter use the office’s “free gas” for Walmart runs, allowed his wife to give prohibited private Capitol tours during the pandemic lockdown and may have misled others into thinking he was an off-duty cop.”
Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-NY) responded to Biden’s action in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “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. President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new Architect immediately.”
Blanton testified last week and tried to defend his misuse of taxpayer resources by throwing his family under the bus in what is regarded as one of the worst hearing performances in recent memory.
Most importantly, Blanton didn’t show up for work while the Capitol Building was under attack on 1/6.
None of this is surprising behavior because Donald Trump didn’t value ethics, and tended to nominate low-character people like himself, so Blanton’s firing should be viewed as another Trump mess that Biden has cleaned up.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
