The ball just keeps on rolling in the Inspectors General scandal. Byron York reported yesterday that the general counsel for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the agency that oversees AmeriCORPS, decided to invent an interesting reason not to talk to Congressional investigators.
Frank Trinity, general counsel for the Corporation, met with a bipartisan group of congressional investigators on Monday. When the investigators asked Trinity for details of the role the White House played in the firing, Trinity refused to answer, according to two aides with knowledge of the situation.
“He said that’s a prerogative of the White House, so he didn’t feel at liberty to disclose anything regarding White House communications,” says one aide.
Investigators asked Trinity whether he was claiming executive privilege, something that could only be authorized by the president. Trinity answered again that it was a White House “prerogative.” When the investigators pointed out that, in the words of one aide, “there is no legal basis whatsoever” for such a claim, Trinity still declined to answer.
According to the knowledgeable sources, Trinity refused to say what contacts the Corporation had with the White House prior to the firing, or after the firing. He refused to say who at the Corporation had spoken to whom at the White House. He refused to say whether Corporation officials had discussed the specific reasons for the firing with the White House.
The other bit of interesting news in York’s report is that the general counsel decided to play a little game of “look over there” with the investigators. Anything to divert attention from the real story. Stacy notes that the deadline for an official committee investigation (which, by the way, can compel Trinity to answer its questions) is today, so if Senator Lieberman doesn’t make it happen, expect to see more clumsy dodging from administration officials. He also has an interesting link to a Fox News story here. Slowly, the scandal is gaining traction.
Tags: Corruption, Gerald Walpin, Inspector General Scandal, Stacy McCain
Stacy notes that the deadline for an official committee investigation (which, by the way, can compel Trinity to answer its questions) is today, so if Senator Lieberman doesn’t make it happen, expect to see more clumsy dodging from administration officials.
Sorry, Jimmie, but “more” doesn’t make sense there. Request expand thought.
From what I’ve seen, Trinity isn’t the first administration person who’s clod-footed around the issue. I recall Robert Gibbs being asked about it at one point, with his usual “hummana-hommana” response.