On Monday morning Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy tweeted a scornful rebuke of the Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton: “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.”
On Monday afternoon, Biden followed McCarthy’s rebuke with exactly the action the Speaker recommended, dismissing Blanton posthaste.
“President Joe Biden fired the Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton on Monday,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement.
Blanton has been under fire for alleged misuse of government funds and ethics issues since an inspector general’s report was delivered in November. Another troubling charge against Blanton was that he was away from the Capitol grounds during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
The situation was exacerbated after Blanton testified before the House Administration Committee on Thursday and appeared evasive, according to committee chair Bryan Steil, who also rebuked the AOC head, writing that “[Blanton]’s refusal to be transparent and truthful has made clear that he can no longer lead the organization and must resign immediately.”
Biden’s swift action on McCarthy’s and Steil’s recommendation is an example of rare bipartisan agreement where the will of both parties was executed. The Architect of the Capitol is a sensitive position, as underscored by the importance of his absence on January 6.
President Donald Trump appointed Blanton to the Architect of the Capitol post in 2019. He was the 12th person in U.S. history to hold the post.
The AOC.gov biography of Blanton says: “Mr. Blanton completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the United States Naval Academy and received his Master of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech.” Among other commendations, Blanton was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” for heroism in Baghdad, Iraq.
AOC Primer: Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is a federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the buildings and grounds of the United States Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C. The AOC also manages the Library of Congress Buildings and the United States Botanic Garden. The agency is responsible for the preservation of many historic buildings, monuments, and structures within the complex, including the U.S. Capitol building itself, the Senate and House Office Buildings, the Supreme Court Building, and the U.S. Botanic Garden.
