J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, was grilled by House Committee on Administration members last week. The committee hearing was to review an inspector general report. The report accused Blanton of ethics violations, abuse of government funds, and wasting taxpayer money.

One big strike against Blanton was the fact that he was not physically present on the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle jumped on that. Biden terminated Blanton after bipartisan calls for his firing or resignation were sounded by members of Congress, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday. A White House official said, “After doing our due diligence, the Architect of the Capitol was terminated at the President’s direction.” Sleepy Joe has been busy lately giving orders – shooting down balloons or objects out of the sky, and now ordering the termination of an employee. Is this the first termination that Biden has carried out? I think it may be, certainly of anyone with a position of power and a title.

The abuse of government property charge includes allowing special treatment for his family.

In the fall, an inspector general report accused Blanton of abuse of government property and wasting taxpayer dollars by allowing his family to drive a government-owned vehicle and taking the vehicle on out-of-town trips to South Carolina and Florida, according to the report. The federal watchdog also accused Blanton, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, of ethics violations over an offer to provide tours to “patriots” weeks before the November 2020 election.

Never use the company vehicle for personal business. Blanton denied any ethical violations during the hearing on Thursday.

“I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agency’s culture to promote a positive workplace for every AOC employee,” Blanton said. “Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role.”

The Republican chairman of the committee, Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, called for Blanton’s resignation after he engaged in an exchange with him. Blanton defended his absence on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, because, he said, there were too many people on the grounds. He wasn’t able to drive there. He said he was using his official vehicle at the mobile command post.

Ranking Democrat Rep. Joe Morelle of New York questioned why he remained in the mobile command center.

“If you need to be tethered, and if you needed a vehicle to be here, why did you make the decision not to come here and could you not have without the vehicle and all the emergency equipment that’s attached to it? Could you not have fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone?” Morelle asked Blanton.

Blanton responded that he did not have police radios and sufficient equipment in his house.

You can see things didn’t go well for Blanton. The responsibilities of his job include overseeing the Capitol’s property management and operations, and as one of three board members, he oversees the U.S. Capitol Police. All of those elements played into the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill. It sure looks like he was derelict in his duties.

Blanton was appointed by former President Donald Trump and remained in the job when Biden came into office. I’ll note that it appears that Rep. Morelle is taking credit for Blanton’s termination.

“After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the President has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position — a decision I firmly stand behind,” said Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

“President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new architect immediately,” Morelle said.

Maybe Morelle forgot that Democrats lost control of the House.

Blanton was three years into a 10-year-long term. He was nominated by Trump on Dec. 9, 2019. He was confirmed by a voice vote in the Republican-led Senate 10 days later. He was sworn in on Jan. 16, 2020.