17 June 2009

Honorable Senator Warner:

Honorable Senator Webb:

Honorable Congressman Wittman:

I am writing to you in response to the Fox News article about the abrupt firing of Gerald Walpin who was the Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service (Fired IG Calls White House Explanation ‘Baseless’ Says He’s Being Targeted, 17 June 2008).  I assume that Mr. Walpin was a government employee – a civil servant - and therefore would have been protected by the myriad of government regulations that cover such actions.  As such I believe that Mr. Walpin may not have been afforded the due process that he deserves.

Most governmental training sessions that address the issues of employee removal cite an extended process of record keeping, progress improvement plan development and strict regard to observed behavior.  From the information presented by these media reports it appears that no attempt at any of these fundamental personnel management practices were made.  If this kind of managerial mistake were made at any other federal facility the government employee would have had their job immediately reinstated and the supervisor would have been removed from any further supervisory capacity.

The reasons for the firing that were provided to the media are quite weak and do not rise to the level that justified such an abrupt action.  If any other elderly employee were to display behavior that indicated he was “confused” or “disoriented” (as the article cites) he would merely be referred to a medical doctor due to the potential for Alzheimer’s disease.  More detail describing the claimed “unduly disruptive” behavior or of displaying a “lack of candor” would be required before any such accusation would become evidence and not just derogatory labeling.  In either case these explanations are not sufficient for any government review board to justify an employee’s immediate removal from office.

As such I find it difficult to accept the premise that the firing was within “full compliance” of the law.  I therefore request that you take a personal interest in this case because the negative ramifications of allowing someone who is tasked with investigating and enforcing government regulations to be removed in such an unethical manner is worrisome.  As word of this action spreads it will have the effect of placing a “gag order” upon anyone that truly observes fraud, waste and abuse within the government and the downward spiral toward totalitarianism begins.

Very sincerely,

James Hull