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Exclusive: Mike Pompeo — Biden has caused ‘global shame’ with spy balloon response

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo excoriated President Biden for his handling of the spy balloon issue on Monday, telling The Hill in an exclusive interview that the current administration “made an enormous mistake” that caused “global shame.”

Pompeo also strongly denied that he or any member of former President Trump’s administration, to the best of his knowledge, was aware of spy balloons entering U.S. airspace during their time in power.

Pompeo’s harshest criticism was reserved for the Biden administration’s actions in relation to the first of four devices that have been shot down since Feb. 4. That device is the only one so far confirmed as a Chinese spy balloon.

A U.S. jet took down the balloon, estimated at the size of about three buses, off the coast of South Carolina after it had traversed the United States for several days.

The delay infuriated Pompeo. 

“I don’t know what it collected…I don’t know what signals intelligence it may have had. I don’t know what imagery it may have been able to garner,” he said in an on-camera interview with The Hill promoting his memoir, “Never Give an Inch.”

“The whole world saw a slow-moving balloon transiting Montana, Kansas, South Carolina — and the United States of America did nothing,” he added.

This lack of action delivered “an enormous geopolitical advantage” for China, Pompeo contended. “I can’t imagine that the risk of some falling debris over a place like Montana exceeded the risk of global shame.”

At a Feb. 4 Pentagon briefing, an unnamed senior Defense official said that Chinese spy balloons had “transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration.” The implication appeared to be that those who served Trump had done nothing.

It now appears that there was in fact no contemporaneous awareness and that the flights — if they happened at all — were discovered only in retrospect.

In the latest twist, the National Security Council’s John Kirby claimed during Monday’s White House media briefing that the Trump administration had failed to “detect” the Chinese spy balloon program.

“We detected it. We tracked it,” Kirby said.

Kirby’s remarks came a few hours after Pompeo spoke with The Hill. But the former secretary of State, who holds a dim view of a Washington media that he believes skews liberal, is rankled by reporting on the topic.

“You’re bringing it up too, and this is exactly what the Biden administration wants you talking about: ‘Look over here. See this shiny object. Trump, Trump, Trump.’ Right? This wasn’t remotely the same thing. … As best as I can tell, no one was aware. And this is fundamentally different from what has transpired over the past two weeks,” he said.

Pompeo served as CIA director from the earliest days of the Trump administration until April 2018. He then replaced Rex Tillerson as secretary of State, where he remained for the rest of Trump’s term. Pompeo is the only person in history to have served in both offices.

“Never Give an Inch” mounts a pugilistic defense of the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Pompeo argues in essence that a nationalistic “America First” agenda served as a deterrent to adversaries including China, a source of reassurance to allies such as Israel and an affirmation of American power.

Pompeo also portrays himself and his boss as battling against entrenched interests in government, at the State Department and within a Beltway establishment.

Pompeo does not himself use the term “deep state,” but what he describes is similar in concept.

“Call it what you will,” Pompeo told The Hill. “The State Department is a blob. It’s the Washington establishment. It is a drag on change.”

“I lived it,” he continues. “They were leaking memos on me before they got to my desk. They were undermining direct orders that I had provided to them.”

Pompeo, two years out of power, is back in the news as speculation builds that he could join the 2024 presidential race.

He is open about the fact that he is considering such a move, mulling it with his wife, Susan. But he insists no decision has been made.

If he goes forward, he added, “We’ll go make arguments. It’s not about tweets. It’s not about noise. It’s not about ‘owning the libs.’ It’s about presenting a rational argument about how to get our government to function.”

Pompeo’s book is almost entirely complimentary of Trump, which begs the question as to how he would distinguish himself from the 45th president, who has already declared his 2024 candidacy.

“I approached my public service in a way that’s different from his. I try my best to use language that reflects the greatness of our country,” he told The Hill. “I think that’s important.”

He also notes in passing that the Trump administration “spent an awful lot of money. We’re now $31 trillion in debt.”

But his criticisms of Trump remain mild. And the most heated moments of his interview with The Hill concerned the near-total absence of any mention of the Capitol insurrection in his book’s 400-plus pages.

If Pompeo is largely loyal toward Trump, he is far more critical of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Haley is all but certain to announce her presidential candidacy at an event in Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday.

Pompeo claims in his book that Haley was at one point seeking to displace then-Vice President Mike Pence — a claim Haley has called “lies and gossip.” 

Pompeo also resents Haley’s relatively speedy departure from the job to which Trump had nominated her. She announced her intention to resign in October 2018, less than halfway into Trump’s term.

“Some came in, punched their ticket and went on. And for those who made that decision, I just don’t have any time,” Pompeo told The Hill. “I don’t understand how someone who believes that they have this incredible opportunity, in an important role, says, ‘No, thanks. I don’t want to do that anymore.’”

Pompeo has a sizable mountain to climb if he enters the presidential race. He is for the moment an also-ran in polls of a hypothetical GOP field that is led by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Asked whether it sounds like he is leaning toward a run, Pompeo demurred.

“No, there’s no lean. I don’t mean that to be clever. It’s kind of binary. It’s a zero or one,” he said.

“Never Give an Inch” by Mike Pompeo is out now, published by Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Source: TEST FEED1

3 people killed at Michigan State University; gunman dead

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself off campus amid an hourslong manhunt during which frightened students hid in the dark.

Police reported the man’s death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out, first at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.

“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

Hundreds of officers had scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, for the suspect, whom police described as a short Black man with red shoes, a jean jacket and ball cap.

Rozman said it was too early to know a motive and whether the man had some type of affiliation with the university. His name was not immediately released.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know at this point,” Rozman said.

Two people were killed at Berkey and another was killed at the MSU Union, he said.

Sparrow Hospital spokesperson John Foren said he had no information on the conditions of five injured people.

By 10:15 p.m., police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured.

Before the gunman was found dead, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.

“They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,” Adams said. “Their cellphones are starting to lose battery charge. They don’t all have chargers with them and losing contact with the outside world is terrifying on a normal day for college kids, let alone when there’s someone out there that they haven’t caught yet.”

Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case.” Sirens were constant, he said, and a helicopter hovered overhead.

“It’s all very frightening,” Kelley said. “And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”

Michigan State has about 50,000 students. All campus activities were canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes.

___

Kusmer reported from Indianapolis.

Source: TEST FEED1

Michigan State Shooting Live Coverage: Police say 5 injured, suspect last seen leaving Union

THIS STORY IS BEING UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION AS IT COMES IN.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – There has been a shooting on Michigan State’s campus with at least five victims. Some of the victims have life threatening injuries.

The incident began at 8:18 p.m. inside Berkey Hall and then moved inside the MSU Union immediately following the first shooting, MSU Police said. There were victims in both locations.

The suspect was last seen leaving the MSU Union and MSU Police will be releasing surveillance soon. Police said there is only one known suspect.

Community members should remain sheltered in place, police said.

Sparrow Hospital has confirmed they are treating five victims. McLaren is not treating any victims.

MSU Police gave a briefing at 11 p.m. and will be giving a second update at midnight where they plan to release a photo of the suspect.

Police did not say anything about fatalities.

MSU Police pleaded with people not to come to campus on Tuesday and said all campus activities are canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes.

Again, the suspect is still on the run and is believed to be on foot, MSU police said.

Students are instructed to secure in place and run, hide or fight if necessary.

Multiple student halls on campus have been cleared, MSU Police said.

“Brody Hall, Snyder/Phillips Hall, Mason Hall, Abbot Hall, Landon Hall, the MSU Union, and Berkey Hall have all been cleared/secured,” MSU Police said.

6 News is on scene and saw people being escorted from Berkey Hall and they appeared to be bloody.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer tweeted about the situation at 9:28 p.m. and said she has been briefed about it.

“Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight. We will keep everyone updated as we learn more,” Whitmer said.

LIVE ON CAMPUS

Michigan State Police troopers were seen with rifles instructing people to stay inside and away from windows.

Source: TEST FEED1

Former Trump adviser Bolton to receive briefing on previous spy balloons

Former Trump White House national security adviser John Bolton will be briefed Wednesday by Biden administration officials about Chinese surveillance balloon incursions that happened during the Trump administration, his spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Monday.

Bolton is expected to issue a statement after the briefing. He is the first Trump official to publicly confirm they are receiving a briefing on the matter of Chinese spy balloons since it was revealed earlier this month that there were at least three such objects that entered U.S. airspace during the last administration.

Appearing on NBC earlier Monday, Bolton said he has “even more questions now than when they first got in touch with me.”

A senior Pentagon official told reporters last week that Chinese government surveillance balloons hovered over the continental U.S. “at least three times” during the Trump administration and one additional time at the beginning of the Biden administration. 

Those three incursions were for shorter periods of time than the balloon that caused a major international incident earlier this month after it was spotted over Montana before floating across parts of the country and ultimately being shot down near the South Carolina coast. 

Bolton and other top Trump officials all were adamant that they were never informed of any spy balloons that entered U.S. airspace during their time in office.

Biden administration officials, who offered to brief the Trump ones on those incursions, have since explained that the country’s defense radar systems have been improved to be able to better detect when objects like the spy balloon enter U.S. airspace.

“When President Biden came into office, he directed the U.S. Intelligence Community to do a broad assessment of Chinese intelligence capabilities and to ensure that we were working to detect and to protect against them,” John Kirby, a White House spokesperson on national security issues, said Monday.

In addition to the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down near South Carolina, the U.S. military shot down three separate unidentified objects over the weekend. One was in Alaskan airspace, one was in Canada and the other was over Lake Huron. Officials are still working to learn more about the origin and purpose of those objects.

Source: TEST FEED1

Lawmakers demand Biden address nation on UFO incursions

Frustration on Capitol Hill is mounting after a string of aerial objects were shot down over U.S. and Canadian airspace in the last few days, raising a long list of questions that lawmakers say President Biden should publicly address. 

Three unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have been shot down over North America since Friday, and the Pentagon has provided little information on what the objects were or where they came from. 

“The president owes the American people an explanation, direct and on camera, of what we know about these ‘objects’ and what steps he’s taking to protect America’s sovereign airspace,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in a Monday statement.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, also joined in the calls for President Biden to address the nation, noting the unprecedented nature of the military shooting down aircraft in U.S. airspace. 

“NORAD’s been around almost 65 years,” he said of the command in charge of patrolling U.S. and Canadian air space. “We’ve never shot anything down, and in eight days we’ve shot down four things. That’s a pretty big deal. It doesn’t happen every day.”

Rubio added in a tweet: “Americans need to hear directly about this from their President today.”

The White House wouldn’t commit to a public address from Biden during a briefing on Monday afternoon. 

“We have been, I think, as transparent as we can be,” The White House’s national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “I won’t speak for the President’s personal speaking schedule.  But, I mean, he has been deeply engaged in every one of these decisions.”

Kirby added that Biden is “directing his team to make sure we are properly consulting and briefing not just members of Congress, but state leaders as well.”

In a vacuum of information about the objects, the White House said Monday there is no evidence of “aliens or extraterrestrial activity” with the incidents. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said people were “scared” and “believing crazy things being said on the internet.”

“There is a lack of transparency from the Biden admin and simple explanations are owed to the people,” Greene tweeted.

The first UFO was shot down on Friday afternoon over Alaska, the second was taken out on Saturday over the Yukon in northwest Canada and the third over Lake Huron in Michigan on Sunday. 

All three incidents came about a week after a Chinese spy balloon capable of collecting communications intelligence was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

While the calls for answers are mostly from Republicans, Democrats from states that experienced a UFO incursion are joining in on the frustration.

Michigan lawmakers Sen. Gary Peters (D) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D) echoed requests for more information, as did Sen. Jon Tester from Montana, where the Chinese balloon had lingered earlier this month.

Asked if Biden should speak out about the aerial objects, Tester said Monday “that’s up to him.” He added that he still hoped to glean more information on “what they know, when they knew it, and what the plan is,” through hearings of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which he chairs.

A number of Democratic senators said they remain unsatisfied by the answers coming from the administration so far, but were hopeful that a briefing of all senators on Monday might shed more light on the situation.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he’s “not satisfied yet” with information provided by administration, while Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) added: “They’ve been doing a good job so far, but I do have a lot of questions.”

The remarkable series of UFO shoot-downs has befuddled Americans, who are wondering why the U.S. is suddenly recognizing and shooting down a flurry of these objects. 

Melissa Dalton, the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs, told reporters on Sunday the military has “been more closely scrutinizing our air space at these altitudes” with enhanced radar.

That “may at least partly explain the increase in objects that we’ve detected over the past week,” Dalton said.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said in a Monday statement if it was true the U.S. has just now opened up its radar technologies to detect UFOs, that would amount to “staggering intelligence failures.”

“How long have these objects operated in our airspace with impunity?” Gallagher asked, demanding “answers” from Biden. 

“There are times to err on the side of secrecy in national security operations. But when our fighter pilots are shooting down presumably hostile aerial objects all across America, it’s long past time for transparency.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) raised similar questions while speaking on the Senate floor Monday.

“What in the world is going on? Has the Biden administration just dialed the sensitivity of our radars all the way up? If so, what are the objects that we are just now noticing for the very first time?” McConnell asked. “Are they benign science projects and wayward weather balloons, or something more nefarious that we’ve somehow been missing all this time?”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on a trip to Belgium that the objects did not pose a military threat. 

“They do, however, present a risk to civil aviation and potentially an intelligence collection threat, and we’ll get to the bottom of it,” he added. 

Canadian and U.S. crews are in the midst of recovering the downed UFOs for closer inspection. The Biden administration on Monday also announced an interagency task force to investigate the UFOs.

There are no known links of the UFOs to China or any other country or entity. 

There have been some indications that some of the objects shot down were balloons, however that has not been confirmed by the Pentagon or White House. 

CNN reported Monday on a Pentagon memo that the object shot down over Canada on Saturday appeared to be a “small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggested in a Sunday interview with ABC’s “This Week” the two UFOs shot down on Friday and Saturday were balloons.

But the Pentagon has said those objects were much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon, which weighed about 2,000 pounds. And the Lake Huron object was an octagonal shape.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon expressed high confidence in identifying the Chinese spy balloon, which Beijing admitted was theirs but has referred to as a weather balloon.

Also in contrast to the UFOs, the Chinese spy balloon was tracked for days before the U.S. decided to take it down. 

Unlike the Chinese spy balloon, which was hovering about 60,000 feet in the air, the UFOs were flying at about 40,000 feet or below and posed a threat to civilian airspace, according to the Pentagon, leading to a swift decision each time to take them out.

Emily Brooks and Al Weaver contributed to this report.

Source: TEST FEED1

Senators will get classified briefing on unidentified objects shot down over weekend 

Senators will receive a classified briefing at 10 a.m. Tuesday on the three unidentified objects shot down by the U.S. military over Alaska, Canada and Lake Huron in recent days after lawmakers expressed frustration over a lack of information coming from the Biden administration.

The all-senators briefing follows a classified briefing they received last week from senior administration officials about the Chinese surveillance balloon that floated across the United States before getting shot down off the coast of South Carolina.  

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the scheduled briefing shortly after the chamber came into session Monday. Senators will also receive a briefing on the rising threat posed by China on Wednesday.  

“I have scheduled for senators to receive a briefing tomorrow on what we know and do not know about where these objects come from and what threats, if any, they pose to the United States,” he said.  

Lawmakers still don’t know where the unidentified objects shot down on Friday, Saturday and Sunday came from or who launched them.  

“The administration has still not been able to divulge any meaningful information about what was shot down,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said on the Senate floor Monday.  

“What in the world is going on? Has the Biden administration dialed the sensitivity of our radars all the way up? If so, what are the objects we’re noticing for the first time?” he asked.  

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), an influential member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called on Biden to explain what U.S. fighter planes shot down.  

“The president owes the American people an explanation, direct and on camera, of what we know about these ‘objects’ and what steps he’s taking to protect America’s sovereign airspace,” he said in a statement.    

“No commander-in-chief should hide behind press secretaries and anonymous sources in a time of crisis,” he said.   

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that security officials still don’t know who owns the objects shot down in the last few days.  

Source: TEST FEED1

McConnell demands answers on unidentified objects shot down: 'What in the world is going on?'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday demanded answers from President Biden about the spate of unidentified objects the U.S. military shot down in recent days after a Chinese spy balloon traveled across the country earlier this month.

After laying out the objects that were shot down over Alaska, Canada and Michigan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively, McConnell issued a series of questions aimed at administration officials. 

“What in the world is going on? Has the Biden administration just dialed the sensitivity of our radars all the way up? If so, what are the objects that we are just now noticing for the very first time?” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “Are they benign science projects and wayward weather balloons, or something more nefarious that we’ve somehow been missing all this time?”

“President Biden owes the American people some answers,” McConnell continued. “What are we shooting down? Where do they come from? Whether they are hostile or not, is there coherent guidance about when to shoot them down? … How did we get into a position where the greatest nation in the world doesn’t know what is traversing our own airspace?”

Administration officials indicated on Monday that they did not know exactly what the objects were. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters the U.S. had yet to recover any debris from the three objects. 

For members of the upper chamber, some answers could be forthcoming. A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that there will be a classified briefing for senators on Tuesday morning on the trio of unidentified objects. 

McConnell’s remarks also came after a week of questions surrounding the Chinese balloon that made its way across the country before being shot down in the Atlantic Ocean. Senators received an all-members briefing on the surveillance balloon late last week, but it did little to settle frustrations and questions.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden fires Architect of Capitol after backlash over report that found abuse of office

President Biden fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton on Monday, a White House official told The Hill, following outrage over an inspector general report that found Blanton misused a government vehicle and allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer.

“After doing our due diligence, the Architect of Capitol was terminated at the President’s direction,” the official said.

The president’s move comes just hours after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for Blanton to step down or be removed by Biden.

House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and ranking member Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) had also called for the resignation of the Architect of the Capitol, who oversees the Capitol complex’s building maintenance, preservation and development.

The White House earlier this month was asked about the inspector general report. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time Biden was “taking this very seriously” and would “take any advice that the members of Congress or any action that they want to take very seriously.”

Only the president has the authority to fire the Architect of the Capitol. Blanton was nominated by former President Trump to a 10-year term as Architect of the Capitol and was confirmed by the Senate in December 2019.

The inspector general report released in October found that Blanton and his family had misused Architect of the Capitol vehicles intended for home-to-work use as personal vehicles, resulting in nearly $14,000 worth of inappropriate costs. Additionally, Blanton had been improperly identified as an off-duty police officer during an incident in which he chased down a hit-and-run that happened outside his residence. 

He had denied misrepresenting himself as law enforcement, saying that it was a mistake on the part of Fairfax County Police after Blanton identified himself as a “Capitol Police Board Member.”

Blanton as Architect of the Capitol is one of three members of the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the U.S. Capitol Police.

Blanton was grilled last week by the House Administration Committee on the report.

Updated 2:53 p.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

US shot down objects because of possible surveillance capabilities

The White House on Monday said that the uncertainty of the surveillance capabilities of the three objects in U.S. airspace over the weekend led to President Biden’s orders for the military to shoot them all down.

“We don’t think — we don’t know for sure whether they had a surveillance aspect to them, but we can’t rule it out. So, there was a little bit, there was enough uncertainty there that again, out of an abundance of caution, doing the prudent thing, the president directed that they get taken down,” national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

He added that they were not manned, were being driven by the wind, and differentiated them from the Chinese spy balloon, saying in that situation, “we knew exactly what that thing was.”

“We knew what it was trying to do,” he added. “And we saw it … as it slowed down, sped up, maneuvered a little bit, trying to get a look at what we believe to be sensitive military sites.

He said that officials have not definitively assessed what the three objects are and have not assessed whether there was a direct threat to people on the ground, but reiterated that the military “acted out of an abundance of caution.”

Kirby noted that the three objects had fallen into remote areas and that it will take time to collect debris from them. 

“We’re going to do everything we can to find them and that will tell us a lot,” Kirby said, adding that the U.S. still does not know who or what entity owns the three objects.

The three objects were shot down by the U.S. military roughly one week after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina. The first object was shot down on Friday off the northern coast of Alaska, the second was shot down on Saturday over frozen territory in northern Canada, and the third was shot down on Sunday over Lake Huron.

Kirby on Monday also said that the three objects were shot down because they posted a potential risk to civilian air traffic, reiterating what officials said over the weekend to explain the moves.

The object shot down on Sunday was about 20,000 feet high, and the objects shot down earlier in the weekend were both about 40,000 feet high, Kirby noted.

“The real risk to safety of flight was a problem,” he said.

Source: TEST FEED1

McCarthy calls for resignation of Architect of Capitol

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for the Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton to step down or be removed by President Biden, adding to bipartisan outrage over an inspector general report that found he misused a government vehicle and allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer, among other ethics issues.

“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,” McCarthy said in a tweet on Monday.

McCarthy joins House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) in calling for the resignation of the Architect of the Capitol, who oversees the Capitol complex’s building maintenance, preservation and development.

“The Inspector General’s report was highly concerning, which is, in part, why our first hearing was dedicated to providing oversight over the AOC. His refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately. I look forward to continuing to conduct robust oversight to ensure our government is accountable to the American people,” Steil said in a statement on Monday.

Morelle called for Blanton’s resignation last week.

An inspector general report released in October found that Blanton and his family had misused Architect of the Capitol vehicles intended for home-to-work use as personal vehicles, resulting in nearly $14,000 worth of inappropriate costs.

The report also found that Blanton had been improperly identified as an off-duty police officer during an incident when he chased down a hit-and-run that happened outside his residence. Blanton denied misrepresenting himself as law enforcement, saying that it was a mistake on the part of Fairfax County Police after Blanton identified himself a “Capitol Police Board Member.”

House lawmakers grilled Blanton over the report in a House Administration hearing last week, where Blanton pushed back on the report.

Blanton said in the hearing that he used the vehicle during an out-of-state family vacation because he was “under the impression that I had to use that vehicle” so he could have quick communication with the Capitol Police Board in case of any emergency.

“I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country,” Blanton said in the hearing.

Asked about the report earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the White House is “taking this very seriously” and will “take any advice that the members of Congress or any action that they want to take very seriously.”

Blanton was nominated by former President Trump to a 10-year term as Architect of the Capitol, and was confirmed by the Senate in December 2019. 

The Architect of the Capitol is one of three members of the board that oversees the Capitol Police, along with the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms. The board and its structure, as well as its ability to quickly authorize outside assistance during emergencies, came under scrutiny after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. 

Blanton said in last week’s hearing that his vehicle served as the Architect of the Capitol’s “mobile command post” during Jan. 6, 2021, during the Capitol attack, and did not go to the Capitol during the attack because “there would have been next to no way to get onto this campus.”

His explanation of being off campus during the day of Jan. 6 enraged some lawmakers. 

“I am outraged to hear that you were be in a comfortable place, sir, while the rest of us were thinking about dying that day and how we were going to come out alive that day,” Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) said during the hearing, saying that a police officer could not close or lock a door because he did not have the keys. “Outrageous that you were not here.”

Torres called for Blanton’s resignation shortly after the hearing.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) took issue with the Architect of the Capitol’s office having a telework policy, though Blanton said he is now going to the Capitol “effectively every day of the week.”

“It absolutely blows me away,” Murphy said, why Blanton “as Architect of the Capitol – Architect of the Capitol – why you are not here physically every day, all day.”

Source: TEST FEED1