WH: Fired agency watchdog 'confused'

WASHINGTON, June 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. federal agency's internal watchdog was removed because he seemed "confused" and disoriented" during a recent meeting, the White House said.

In a letter to Congress released Tuesday, the White House said Gerald Walpin was removed as inspector general of the Corporation for Community and National Service at the request of the board, Politico reported Wednesday. The letter came at the request of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who expressed concern about whether President Barack Obama tried to skirt federal requirements in his abrupt explanation for Walpin's removal.

"Mr. Walpin was removed after a review was unanimously requested by the bipartisan board of the corporation," Obama's ethics counsel Norm Eisen said in the letter sent to Sens. Joe Lieberman, Ind.-Conn.; and Susan Collins, R-Maine., and copied to McCaskill. "The board's action was precipitated by a May 20, 2009, board meeting at which Mr. Walpin was confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions and exhibited other behavior that led the board to question his capacity to serve."

Citing several incidents and noting that Walpin was "teleworking" from New York, Eisen wrote, "Mr. Walpin had become unduly disruptive to agency operations, impairing his effectiveness and ... losing the confidence of the board and the agency," Eisen wrote.

Walpin told the Washington publication the allegations in the letter were "absolutely amazing."

Walpin claimed in recent interviews his removal could be in retaliation for two reports he produced. One faulted an Obama supporter who is mayor of Sacramento, Calif., for misuse of federal Americorps personnel and the other criticized an Americorps grant for participants in a City College of New York teacher training program.