Matthew Boyle
The Daily Caller
1/12/2012
The inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) got hit with a nearly 50 percent budget cut for 2012, a move that, unless immediately remedied, will stifle the office’s ability to investigate a controversial branch of the Obama administration.
CNCS, and specifically its Americorps division, has been plagued with scandals. Americorps is a federally-funded community service program.
The previous CNCS inspector general, Gerald Walpin, was fired after investigating Sacramento, Calif. Mayor Kevin Johnson — a former NBA star and a Democrat with ties to Obama — over allegations that he misused an $850,000 grant Americorps gave his community group, St. Hope.
Johnson was accused of inappropriately touching young girls, and is alleged to have offered at least one of them $1,000 per month to stay quiet about it and stay at St. Hope.
Other allegations Johnson faced, according to a 2009 congressional report prepared by now House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley, include Americorps volunteers running errands for Johnson, washing his car and conducting political activities all while on the clock — meaning taxpayers paid the bill.
Walpin also found about $80 million of wasted taxpayer funding through Americorps to the City University of New York, the Washington Times reported. That funding was apparently for a teaching fellowship.
Issa’s and Grassley’s report found that White House officials had moved to fire Walpin without conducting a fair investigation. According to Issa and Grassley, administration officials argued that Walpin was “no longer fit for his job” based on a complaint CNCS Chairman Alan Solomont — a prominent Democratic fundraiser — delivered in person to Obama administration lawyer Norm Eisen in the White House parking lot…
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