Obama to 3 inspector generals: YOU ARE FIRED - New England Patriots Forums

***NEPatriot*** · 06-22-2009, 01:41 PM

Senator asks about firings of watchdogs -- chicagotribune.com

Quote:

The dispute comes as Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is looking into the abrupt firings within the last week of two other inspectors general ¿ one of whom was fired by the White House and the other by the chair of the International Trade Commission.

Both inspectors general had investigated sensitive subjects at the time of their firings.

Grassley is now concerned about whether a pattern is emerging in which the independence of the government's top watchdogs -- whose jobs were authorized by Congress to look out for waste, fraud and abuse -- is being put at risk.

The firing drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats, who charged that it violated a new law passed last year to protect the independence of inspectors general by requiring 30 days notice and a full explanation to Congress of the dismissal of any IG.

Separately this week, the International Trade Commission told its acting inspector general, who is not subject to White House authority, that her contract would not be renewed.

So much for Obama's accountability and openess.

***tanked_as_usual*** · 06-22-2009, 01:49 PM

tttttrrrrrransparency!!!!!

they must be minding patter's claim that the government works great

***NEPatriot*** · 06-22-2009, 01:58 PM

When Obama says that we need to 'pay as we go', he doesn't want us to know where the money 'goes'. Some of us are willing to be TAXED for this 'wasteful' spending. Is it great?

***Harry Boy*** · 06-22-2009, 02:00 PM

Tea Party Now
Big One

***DarrylS*** · 06-22-2009, 03:24 PM

I know a woman who is a United States Trustee who oversaw many bankruptcies in California, she is also on the faculty of a state university there and in the past was one of the people who was in charge when Pacific Gas and Electric went bankrupt.. she was very much a watchdog, when Rumsfield came on board she lost her job to a political appointee.. I asked her if she was upset, and she said this is expected when new administrations take over.

Apparently this stuff happens when administrations change.

Real World · 06-22-2009, 06:25 PM

It's amazing how this is a story no one is talking about. While it's a different position and all, remember the outrage when the Bush Administration fired those lawyers? Well, where are the questions here? If their is a legal process, 30 days notification, that is being ignored, shouldn't people be asking about it? This isn't to say that the 3 IG's weren't deserving of being canned, as I don't know the circumstances.

alvinnf · 06-22-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Real World

It's amazing how this is a story no one is talking about. While it's a different position and all, remember the outrage when the Bush Administration fired those lawyers? Well, where are the questions here? If their is a legal process, 30 days notification, that is being ignored, shouldn't people be asking about it? This isn't to say that the 3 IG's weren't deserving of being canned, as I don't know the circumstances.

They gave this guy 1 hr to pack itup. This is the internal affairs of upper level government. The question is what was he uncovering with Kevin Johnson, and how is it linked to th Obama administration. I have a feeling this story is far from over.

***patsfan13*** · 06-22-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Real World

It's amazing how this is a story no one is talking about. While it's a different position and all, remember the outrage when the Bush Administration fired those lawyers? Well, where are the questions here? If their is a legal process, 30 days notification, that is being ignored, shouldn't people be asking about it? This isn't to say that the 3 IG's weren't deserving of being canned, as I don't know the circumstances.

Bo sponsored a law while in the senate he may have broken in firing these guys (who were supposed to be independent as opposed to the JD lawyers that Clinton and Bush fired.

BO even got called out by McCaskill on this stunt. Chicago politics.

alvinnf · 06-22-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsfan13

Bo sponsored a law while in the senate he may have broken in firing these guys (who were supposed to be independent as opposed to the JD lawyers that Clinton and Bush fired.

BO even got called out by McCaskill on this stunt. Chicago politics.

He's breaking the law he sponsered, thats not irony... It's delusional arrogance.

***DarrylS*** · 06-23-2009, 05:14 AM

Interesting notes this AM on this subject..

That icon Ronald Reagan fired all the IG's when he took office... so he set a standard. Reagan wanted "Mean Men"

Quote:

Wasting no time in cleaning his administration of Democratic appointees, President Reagan Wednesday fired most of the nation's inspectors general and asked 200 other officials to resign.
''We want people who are meaner than a junkyard dog at ferreting out fraud, waste and mismanagement,'' said press secretary James Brady in explaining the dismissal of the inspectors general, who are in charge of internal agency investigations.

Last year there was the IG reform act.. which was passed, the dems wanted to define the reason for removal, but the Republicans (grassley et al) beat it..

Reagan Fired Slew Of IGs Upon Taking Office -- And Senate GOP Last Year Blocked Measure To Make Firing IGs Harder | TPMMuckraker

Quote:

Last year, Congress passed the Inspector Generals Reform Act. During negotiations over the measure, House Democrats wanted a provision that would have allowed the president to remove an IG only for one of nine explicitly defined causes. But according to one expert, the Bush White House was adamantly opposed to that requirement, arguing that it would tie the president's hands. And Senate Republicans, lining up against the interests of their own branch of government, willingly carried the White House's water on the issue. Ultimately, thanks to the opposition of the Senate GOP, the provision was removed

.

Here is a copy of the bill..

UNITED STATES PUBLIC LAWS