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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Inspector General Wrongly Fired by Obama Sues To Get Job Back

Until recently Gerald Walpin,was the inspector general for AmeriCorps. Walpin made the mistake of Investigation a friend of Obama (FOB),  Kevin Johnson former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, California, for the misuse of AmeriCorps.

Because he was investigating the president's friend, Walpin, whose position as an inspector general is supposed to be protected from political appointees and the White House, was fired.

Pressed for a reasoning for the dismissal the Administration said the IG seemed "disoriented" at one meeting. Walpin fought against the slander. He said that the Bully-in-Chief's explanation for firing him was a "total lie" and he was fired for political reasons.

Jake Tapper of ABC News is reporting that Mr. Walpin has files a lawsuit to be reinstated
Gerald Walpin, the former Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service whom President Obama took the unusual step of firing last month, filed a lawsuit against the CNCS on Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

The suit seeks to force "to reinstate Mr. Walpin as the Inspector General and to declare unlawful and ineffective the efforts to date to terminate him from his office." In addition, the suit seeks that Walpin be awarded "costs and legal fees associated with this action" as well as any "further relief as may be appropriate in this matter."

The White House had no immediate comment. Walpin is expected to issue an official statement about the lawsuit on Monday.

The suit alleges that on or about June 10, Walpin "was unlawfully removed and transferred from his position as Inspector General precisely because he had performed his duties in an effective manner, supporting his career staff in their objective findings of wrongdoing, based on their audits and investigations, the truth of which those who sought to remove him did not want published."

The suit takes particular issue with the White House assertion that at one board meeting Walpin "was confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions and exhibited other behavior that led the Board to question his capacity to serve."

The suit, filed by attorneys from Greenburg Traurig LLP, asserts that Walpin suffered and continues to suffer "very real reputational, vocation and economic injuries … from the obvious loss of his post and the associated income and health insurance, to having his mental faculties questioned with not-so-subtle, and completely unfounded, suggestions of senility."

The lawsuit says that "(w)hile not the object of the instant pleading, it is plain that without the relief sought by this complaint the conduct at issue raises serious questions of age discrimination, retaliation against whistleblowers and defamation."

Walpin's lawsuit says the action taken by President Obama not only harmed Walpin personally but also the integrity of the Inspector General system.
...Walpin's lawsuit asserts that "no investigation was made into the facts alleged as the basis for Mr. Walpin's termination" and the White House made no attempt to interview him or any of his colleagues in his office. Moreover, the suit asserts, the Integrity Committee of the Counsel of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency was" not provided an opportunity to review the matter before the precipitous termination," contrary to the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008.

The suit also identifies as defendants CNCS acting chief executive officer Nicola Goren, chief human capital officer Raymond Limon, and general counsel Frank Trinity.
 The importance of this suit goes way beyond Mr. Walpin . It is all about rule of law. Should the President of the United States be allowed to fire and slander public servants to protect a friend acting illegally?  Lets hope the court doesn't allow him to get away with it.

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