Abuse of office: Biden fires Brett Blanton, the architect of the US Capitol

The majestic white dome of the Capitol is a symbol of democracy. Although the seat of the US Congress was completed 222 years ago, the architect’s role is still a highly decorated office in Washington today. A position that is now vacant. US President Joe Biden fired the previous architect of the Capitol on Monday. The reason: Brett Blanton is said to have abused his office.

The role of “Architect of the Capitol”

30,000 people flock to the Capitol grounds every day, with more than three million visitors a year.The Architect of the Capitol is the chief administrator of all buildings and facilities on Capitol Hill, responsible for the oversight, care and maintenance of more than 1.6 million square feet of indoor space and 570 acres of outdoor space. According to official information, he is the head of around 2,000 employees who work “around the clock”. In addition to architects, electricians and engineers, this also includes gardeners, restorers, bricklayers, painters and many other specialists.

Brett Blanton has been the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) since January 2020 – Donald Trump had appointed him at the time. The engineer and ex-Marine was supposed to keep the Capitol running until 2030. Actually.

Storming the Capitol: Blanton felt it was “unwise” to come to work on January 6, 2021

Whether Ukraine aid, debt ceiling or abortions: as irreconcilable as the Republicans and Democrats are now, they agreed on one thing: Both parties wanted to get rid of Blanton. According to the Washington Post, the 51-year-old accused him of using government vehicles for family outings and falsely posing as a law enforcement officer. He drove the SUV several times to a brewery in Loudoun County and used the car for vacation trips to Florida and South Carolina. His wife and daughter also repeatedly drove the car privately, according to the investigation report. A total of $14,000 in unreported tax benefits was collected.

In addition, he is said to have pursued a car in a service vehicle equipped with sirens and flashing lights, the driver of which had rammed the car of his daughter’s partner. He is said to have even posed as a lawman. The Fairfax County police report referred to Blanton as an “off-duty DC police officer,” according to the Washington Post. The report also said Blanton allegedly offered private tours of the Capitol when the building was closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Finally, in a heated, 90-minute hearing last week, Blanton made even more arguments for his critics. He denied having acted unethically during his tenure. Blanton did drive privately on Tuesdays, but only to get to the Capitol quickly in an emergency. The investigation report is “full of errors” – even if he has not read it completely. Blanton later had the car’s state license plate and GPS location removed to complicate the investigation.

However, something else caused outrage: He admitted that he was not in the Capitol on January 6, 2021 because he thought it was “unwise” to enter the site. Only that would have been his job. Blanton was a member of the three-man Capitol Police Board, which shared responsibility for protecting government buildings – and famously failed. Finally, the committee oversees the United States Capitol Police, which is responsible for the security of the Capitol. “The structure of the Capitol Police Board will be reviewed going forward,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee.

Finding new Capitol architect could take years

reads succinctly: “Upon instructions from President Biden, I give you notice that your appointment as Architect of the Capitol has ended effective 5 p.m. today,” writes Gautam Raghavan, Biden’s chief of staff.

“After the President had an opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical and administrative violations, he removed Mr. Brett Blanton from office – a decision I fully support,” Joseph Morelle quoted the Washington Post as saying , the leading Democrat on the House Administration Committee. They want to “start immediately with the search for a new architect”

“He should resign or President Biden should fire him immediately,” said Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives. According to “Politico” information, the top candidates of the Grand Old Party already knew about Blanton’s upcoming dismissal at the time. But this gave the impression that Biden had caved in to the Republicans.

Blanton’s successor is likely to be difficult. However, this is not due to his deep footsteps, but to the complex nomination process, which, according to media reports, can drag on for years. To do this, a 14-member cross-party and cross-chamber commission must first be formed, which in turn will propose several candidates to the president. It would have to happen quickly – because Blanton had no deputy.

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