The White House dismissed the U.S. architect of the Capitol on Monday after he was accused in an internal watchdog report of impersonating a police officer and regularly misusing government vehicles to take personal trips.
In a hearing before House lawmakers last week, J. Brett Blanton denied that he had engaged in any unethical during his service, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. But the White House confirmed Monday that Blanton was terminated at President Joe Biden’s direction, “after doing our due diligence.”
In his position, Blanton managed a staff of about 2,400, and was in charge of the operations and care of the U.S. Capitol complex, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress.
Blanton’s firing comes after an Office of Inspector General report released in October found that he regularly commandeered government vehicles from the federal agency for personal use, costing taxpayers almost $14,000. Blanton used the cars for trips as far away as Florida and South Carolina, according to the report.
On another occasion, Blanton told Fairfax County police officers that he was a member of law enforcement while trying to pursue a suspect in a hit-and-run crash that took place near his house, according to the report.
Biden has faced mounting pressure to fire Blanton in recent weeks from both sides of the political aisle. “The architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately,” Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) tweeted on Monday.
The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 13, 2023
“The Inspector General’s report was highly concerning, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately,” House Administration Committee chairman, Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), said in a statement on Monday.
Fellow committee member Joseph Morelle (D., N.Y.) called for Blanton’s resignation last week after hearings during which Blanton adamantly denied any wrongdoing.
“I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agency’s culture to promote positive workplace for every AOC employee,” Blanton told the House Committee on Administration on Thursday.
Former president Donald Trump appointed Blanton in January 2020.