Note: I’m told that I have misread this response. The acting inspector general, Kenneth Bach, was apparently responding to a second letter sent by Sen. Grassley on June 12 — one that asked for only two categories of information. So therefore Bach did fully respond to Grassley. So far, AmeriCorps has not responded to the Grassley inquiry detailed below, the one that asked for eight categories of information.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, the organization that oversees AmeriCorps, has responded to Sen. Charles Grassley’s request for information about the firing of inspector general Gerald Walpin. And the answer is: We’ll give you a little bit, but nothing that touches on the White House, the Office of the First Lady, or any of the people and organizations that were the subjects of Walpin’s investigations.
On June 12, Grassley asked the Corporation “to provide any and all records, email, memoranda, documents, communications, or other information, whether in draft or final form,” which had anything to do with:
1) the performance of Gerald Walpin as Inspector General;
2) the removal of Gerald Walpin as the Inspector General;
3) contacts with the United States Attorney’s Office;
4) contacts with officials in the Executive Office of the President;
5) contacts with officials in the Office of the First Lady;
6) St. HOPE Academy;
7) Kevin Johnson;
8) or CUNY.
In the Corporation’s response, acting inspector general Kenneth Bach says he has instructed his staff to “preserve all documents and information pertaining to items one and two of [Grassley’s] June 12 letter. Bach makes no mention of items three through eight — something sure to result in another letter from Grassley. Bach’s response also suggests that administration officials might be willing to give Republicans in Congress some information about the Corporation, but will draw the line at any White House involvement. That response, perhaps, does not bode well for Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, who has asked White House counsel Gregory Craig for documents relating to the Walpin matter. On the other hand, maybe the White House will answer those questions for itself, in the form of documents for Issa. It’s just not clear at the moment.
