Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey added his name to a bipartisan letter last week in support of former AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin, who was abruptly fired by President Obama last month.
Michael Mukasey (DOJ)
The White House told Congress that Walpin’s dismissal stemmed from a meeting where the former inspector general was confused and disoriented. Walpin, who was appointed by President Bush in 2007, said he was fired because he made unpopular reports on the misuse of AmeriCorps funds. Almost 150 lawyers signed onto the letter that disputed the claims made by the White House.
“All of us are unanimous in affirming Mr. Walpin’s integrity and competence,” said the letter obtained by the New York Law Journal.
The letter was delivered to White House Counsel Gregory Craig and members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Senate Finance Committee and House Oversight and Reform Committee. We previously reported that Senate Finance Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, threatened to delay the confirmation of Justice Department nominees unless he got sufficient answers from the administration about the Walpin firing.
