Who is Brett Blanton? Joe Biden fires 12th Architect of Capitol for 'legal and ethical violations'
WASHINGTON DC: President Joe Biden fired the chief officer-in-charge of monitoring the Capitol building and its surrounding grounds after an inspector general's report exposed a number of ethical and management abuses, on Monday, February 13. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, was also shown the door following a contentious session before Congress last week, during which he stated that he was working remotely throughout the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.
A bipartisan agreement had recently emerged in favor of firing Blanton from Capitol Hill. "The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, tweeted on Monday, adding, "He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately," per Fox News.
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The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) February 13, 2023
Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the leading Democrat on the House Administration Committee, claimed that Blanton had the chance to "directly respond" to a number of claims of "legal, ethical, and administrative violations" but he chose not to do so.
Who is Brett Blanton?
James Brett Blanton is an American professional engineer. He was the 12th Architect of the Capitol's office who oversaw more than 2,400 employees from January 2020 to February 13.
As the Architect of the Capitol, Blanton oversaw the operation and maintenance of 18.4 million sqft of buildings, including the House and Senate Congressional Office Buildings, the Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress Buildings, the US Supreme Court Building and the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building. He was also in charge of the care and improvement of more than 570 acres of grounds, according to aoc.gov.
A licensed professional engineer
Blanton earned a Bachelor of Sciences in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Sciences in ocean engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a certified energy manager and a licensed professional engineer in civil engineering.
Accused of impersonating law enforcement official
Blanton was accused of letting his family members frequently use his work vehicle, which was outfitted with "law enforcement lights and sirens, a USCP radio, and a satellite phone," in the report dated 2021. The inspector general claimed that Blanton "activated the emergency equipment" while pursuing a suspect involved in a hit-and-run using his work vehicle in June 2020. After that encounter, Blanton was accused of impersonating a law enforcement official at that time.
