Prepared Senate Floor Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Accountability for Brett Blanton Theft
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
VIDEO
Congressional oversight is a constitutional demand. We must ensure that our government truly does work for, of, and by the people. When fraud, waste, and abuse is discovered, Congress has a responsibility to the American people to make it public. Transparency brings accountability.
Today, I have an example of wrongdoing to discuss.
The former Architect of the Capitol’s blatant misuse of government property.
According to the Architect of the Capitol’s Inspector General, during Brett Blanton’s time as Architect, he engaged in unnecessary, expensive, and impermissible conduct. For example, the report found unauthorized vehicle use, misrepresentation as a law enforcement officer, ethics violations, and appropriations violations.
Specifically, the Inspector General found that Blanton should have driven approximately 10,438 miles using government vehicles. Instead, a total of 29,291 miles were recorded. That’s 18,853 miles of unauthorized benefit on the taxpayer’s dime.
The Inspector General’s October 26, 2022, report expressly noted that Blanton’s actions “have violated every pillar the Office of Inspector General operates under including theft, fraud, waste and abuse against not only the Architect of the Capitol but also the taxpayer.”
In total, the Inspector General identified thousands of dollars of inappropriate costs associated with Blanton’s use of government vehicles.
On February 22 this year, I sent a letter to Mr. Blanton, asking him when he would repay the money he impermissibly cost the taxpayer. As of today, more than two months later, he’s failed to respond to my inquiry and my staff’s attempts to contact him. He also has made no effort to repay the money he owes the American people.
His actions show no respect to the taxpayer. But that isn’t the last word in this sad story.
She and her team have
worked to recover these payments, and as of Friday, April 21, the money Mr. Blanton owed the taxpayer was repaid in full. The total amount of dollars has been withheld from Mr. Blanton’s final, annual leave payment and has been returned to the Treasury. When dealing with trillions of dollars in government spending, a dozen-or-so thousand can seem like an insignificant amount. However, this amount would be important to a family struggling to make ends-meet in a time of record inflation and price hikes.
And the amount is important to me because it’s about time we see civil servants holding someone accountable for their wrongs.
Congressional oversight doesn’t deal out victories every day. When wrongdoing’s corrected, it should be noted. Let’s give all due credit to the Acting Architect of the Capitol and her team for the recoupment of funds.
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