In this administration’s typical Friday night fashion, and conveniently just after Senator Charles Grassley and Representative Darrell Issa released a reporton their investigation into the firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin last June, the White House released documents that clearly show their actions were, as many originally noted, in retaliation for Walpin’s daring to call out the misuse of funds by President Walking Eagle’s pal, Kevin Johnson. Insight into the White House scramble to cover their tracks and “prevent and control the damage” is detailed here.
But there’s more to it than just using taxpayer money to pay someone to wash his car. What has been kept under wraps is that Kevin Johnson was also under investigation for sexual misconduct. Johnson’s fiancee, D.C. schools chief (then St. Hope board member) Michelle Rhee, allegedly attempted “damage control”, sending her personal attorney to pay a visit to one of the women who had complained about Johnson and the “congressional report quotes the girl as saying the attorney “basically asked me to keep quiet,” and Johnson offered her $1,000 a month for the duration of her time with St. Hope. Once investigators learned about that, the report says, they had “reasonable suspicions about potential hush money payments and witness tampering at a federally funded entity.””
Gerald Walpin reported on all of this, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento (namely, Lawrence Brown) decided to only go after the money with about as much force as an old, blind and toothless chihuahua. Walpin didn’t like this obviously political choice, was strongly critical of the Corporation for National and Community Service and wanted the probe to continue, particularly in light of a new allegation that St. Hope employees might have destroyed evidence.
So in order to protect Barry’s icky little friend, Gerald Walpin ended up under a Chicago bus.