WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden fired Capitol Architect Brett Blanton after the inspector general’s report on his personal and professional management called for his removal.
The White House said that Blanton’s appointment has been terminated. It comes as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday that he had lost confidence in Blanton’s ability to do the job.
An inspector general’s report released last year found “administrative, ethical and policy violations” by Blanton, a Trump-era appointee, including that he abused government vehicles and misrepresented himself as a law enforcement officer. A House hearing last week uncovered new questions and criticism — including that he was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was attacked by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has the confidence to continue his work. He must resign or President Biden must fire him immediately,” McCarthy said Monday in a tweet.
The speaker’s statement came as questions and criticism swirled around the architect, who is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the historic Capitol building and the surrounding complex and grounds.
Blanton came under intense criticism after an inspector general’s report found Blanton allowed unauthorized use of his work vehicle, including by his wife and adult daughter, for nearly 30,000 miles — about three times the estimate for official use.
Blanton was also attacked when he testified that he was not at the Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack because today was a “telework” day under the COVID-19 protocol.
He also faced fierce questions about the Capitol tours he was allowed and sometimes conducted despite pandemic restrictions. An investigation launched after a hotline tip about unauthorized use of a work vehicle drew attention to his office.
On Monday, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., also called on Blanton to resign immediately.
“The Inspector General’s report is very concerning,” Steil said. He said at a hearing last week that Blanton’s “refusal to be transparent and honest has made it clear that he cannot lead the organization and should resign immediately. I look forward to continuing to exercise strong oversight to ensure our government is accountable to the American people.”
An Office of Inspector General report published in October 2022 found that Blanton had “Abused His Authority, Misappropriated Government Property and Embezzled Taxpayer Money, Among Other Believed Offenses.”
The inspector general said it received a hotline complaint on March 7, 2021, “regarding abuse” of AOC (Architects of the Capitol) vehicles.
He said the black Ford Explorer near the Walmart in Tyson’s Corner was driving “very recklessly in and out of the parking garage at a high rate of speed, approximately 65 miles per hour (mph) in a 30-mph zone.”
The complainant said the driver, a woman later identified as Blanton’s adult daughter, “made obscene gestures toward them while at a stop sign outside the parking garage.”
The report said the family racked up miles on the vehicle beyond what was estimated for the architect’s official use, amounting to $13,926.56 in questionable costs. He said the daughter referred to using AOC fuel as “free gas.”
“The OIG’s AOC found overwhelming evidence that Blanton and his family repeatedly misappropriated AOC’s vehicles” intended for household use, the report said.
Blanton was nominated in December 2019 by Trump as the 12th Architect of the Capitol, and confirmed in the post by the US Senate.
The architect’s work is sweeping and historic, responsible for the maintenance and operation of the US Capitol and its grounds and building complex. Blanton, a former US Navy officer, is a civil engineer and previously worked as an executive vice president at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.