Chairman Waxman:
“It’s unusual for me to ever call for the resignation of a federal official, but in your case I don’t see any other course of action that will protect the interests of your agency and the federal taxpayer. No one can be an effective leader who has abused the trust of her employees, and threatened to deny promotions and bonuses to employees for telling the truth. And no one can be an effective leader who has lost the public’s confidence, politicizing the agency and violating the Hatch Act. Yet that is exactly what you have done. I give you my opinion, just as others have given you their opinion. It will be up to the President of the United States who appointed you to decide what to do with the recommendation by this Office of Special Counsel that recommends the President remove you from this office. I would urge you to resign.”
Showing posts with label Lorita Doan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lorita Doan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
More Videos from the Gavel Blog - House of Representatives II
Rep. William Lacy Clay questions Doan on whether she was accusing her employees of lying to investigators:
Rep. Clay:
“Later in your interview [with OSC] you explain why you don’t believe the testimony of the other GSA officials, according to the transcript you stated that the witnesses were not crdible because ‘they have an axe to grind,’ that’s on page 391. They have an axe to grind so therefore they are not telling the truth, that’s what you meant isn’t it?”
Doan:
“No, that is not what I meant. We’re still in the period of subjection… conjection… conjecture…”
Chairman Henry Waxman questions Doan on apparent inconsistencies in her statements:
Chairman Waxman:
“At our March hearing, you repeatedly claimed you could not recall any information about the January 26, 2007 meeting or the White House political presentation, and you had absolutely no memory of asking GSA employees how they could help Republican candidates in upcoming elections. That’s what you told us. We questioned you over and over again. You remember there were cookies, you remembered you came in late, you remembered that some employees didn’t attend, but beyond that you said you had no further information. Five weeks later you testified before the Office of Special Counsel and suddenly you had a new enriched details about the meeting and your statements…”
Rep. Clay:
“Later in your interview [with OSC] you explain why you don’t believe the testimony of the other GSA officials, according to the transcript you stated that the witnesses were not crdible because ‘they have an axe to grind,’ that’s on page 391. They have an axe to grind so therefore they are not telling the truth, that’s what you meant isn’t it?”
Doan:
“No, that is not what I meant. We’re still in the period of subjection… conjection… conjecture…”
Chairman Henry Waxman questions Doan on apparent inconsistencies in her statements:
Chairman Waxman:
“At our March hearing, you repeatedly claimed you could not recall any information about the January 26, 2007 meeting or the White House political presentation, and you had absolutely no memory of asking GSA employees how they could help Republican candidates in upcoming elections. That’s what you told us. We questioned you over and over again. You remember there were cookies, you remembered you came in late, you remembered that some employees didn’t attend, but beyond that you said you had no further information. Five weeks later you testified before the Office of Special Counsel and suddenly you had a new enriched details about the meeting and your statements…”
More Videos from the Gavel Blog - House of Representatives
Chairman Waxman responds to Republican accusations that the investigation, which was initiated by a Republican inspector general and has been reinforced by the White House’s Official of Special Counsel, is nonetheless a partisan witch hunt:
Chairman Waxman:
“Now the problem with these people that were criticized by Ms. Doan were that they testified before this committee and that got her wrath. But as I pointed out those people as well were Republicans, some of them were Republican appointees at the GSA.”
Rep. Elijah Cummings questions Doan on her partisanship dating back to her interest in taking the job:
Rep. Cummings:
“This is an email that you wrote to your husband Douglas Doan on his official government computer at the Department of Homeland Security where he worked. You wrote it on the same day you met with Mr. Hubbard [about employment in the Bush Administration] at 1:14 pm, this is your draft email to Mr. Hubbard, and here’s what it says in part: ‘Thanks for the excellent comments’… the email then goes on to say, something that is extremely interesting, it says, ‘as I mentioned, I believe that party has a unique opportunity to make about a 5%swing of the black vote to the GOP,’ you go on to say, ‘one of the largest concentrations of wealth and influence lies in the black business community…”
Chairman Waxman:
“Now the problem with these people that were criticized by Ms. Doan were that they testified before this committee and that got her wrath. But as I pointed out those people as well were Republicans, some of them were Republican appointees at the GSA.”
Rep. Elijah Cummings questions Doan on her partisanship dating back to her interest in taking the job:
Rep. Cummings:
“This is an email that you wrote to your husband Douglas Doan on his official government computer at the Department of Homeland Security where he worked. You wrote it on the same day you met with Mr. Hubbard [about employment in the Bush Administration] at 1:14 pm, this is your draft email to Mr. Hubbard, and here’s what it says in part: ‘Thanks for the excellent comments’… the email then goes on to say, something that is extremely interesting, it says, ‘as I mentioned, I believe that party has a unique opportunity to make about a 5%swing of the black vote to the GOP,’ you go on to say, ‘one of the largest concentrations of wealth and influence lies in the black business community…”
Doan Testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Cont'd
Again From Think Progress:
Doan expected Rove aide to give ‘motivational speech.’GSA chief Lurita Doan is accused of violating federal law after she hosted a partisan PowerPoint briefing delivered by top Karl Rove deputy Scott Jennings, and then asked her agency employees to think up ways to help GOP candidates. During her hearing today, Doan claimed she didn’t know it would be a political meeting. “I thought we were going to have a motivational speech,” Doan told Rep. John Mica (R-FL). Watch it:
(Video at Link)
Earlier during the hearing, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) made public an email written by Doan while she was a staffer at the Homeland Security Department. From her official government account, Doan wrote, “as I mentioned, I believe that party has a unique opportunity to make about a 5 percent swing of the black vote to the GOP… one of the largest concentrations of wealth and influence lies in the black business community.”
Doan expected Rove aide to give ‘motivational speech.’GSA chief Lurita Doan is accused of violating federal law after she hosted a partisan PowerPoint briefing delivered by top Karl Rove deputy Scott Jennings, and then asked her agency employees to think up ways to help GOP candidates. During her hearing today, Doan claimed she didn’t know it would be a political meeting. “I thought we were going to have a motivational speech,” Doan told Rep. John Mica (R-FL). Watch it:
(Video at Link)
Earlier during the hearing, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) made public an email written by Doan while she was a staffer at the Homeland Security Department. From her official government account, Doan wrote, “as I mentioned, I believe that party has a unique opportunity to make about a 5 percent swing of the black vote to the GOP… one of the largest concentrations of wealth and influence lies in the black business community.”
Lorita Doan Hearing befor the House Oversight Committee
I am going to cross post, here, updates and videos of the hearing from Think Progress and TPM Muckraker and other blogs along with their links.
From Think Progress:
Emanuel calls on Bush to fire or suspend Doan. This morning, Lurita “cookies on the table” Doan will testify before the House oversight committee, just days after the Office of Special Counsel called on President Bush to punish Doan “to the fullest extent” for violating the Hatch Act. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) released the following statement:
For years, the Bush Administration has tried to turn the federal government into another arm of the Republican Party. At every level of government, the President has put politics first. But it’s never too late to do the right thing. President Bush should heed the special counsel’s report, and fire or suspend Ms. Doan immediately - the administration should not offer amnesty for GSA Directors who violate the law.
UPDATE: The Gavel will have highlights from the hearing throughout the day. Here is Rep. Henry Waxman’s opening statement:
WAXMAN: Ms. Doan didn’t just disparage the employees [who gave information about her statements to the Committee], under oath she told the Special Counsel, and again I quote, ‘until extensive rehabilitation of their performance occurs, they will not be getting promoted, they will not be getting bonuses or special awards or anything of that nature.’ Apparently Ms. Doan’s position is that it is fine for her to retaliate against her employees by denying them promotions, bonuses and awards so long as she does so in secret and no one knows about it.
And the Waxman Video from YouTube:
From Think Progress:
Emanuel calls on Bush to fire or suspend Doan. This morning, Lurita “cookies on the table” Doan will testify before the House oversight committee, just days after the Office of Special Counsel called on President Bush to punish Doan “to the fullest extent” for violating the Hatch Act. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) released the following statement:
For years, the Bush Administration has tried to turn the federal government into another arm of the Republican Party. At every level of government, the President has put politics first. But it’s never too late to do the right thing. President Bush should heed the special counsel’s report, and fire or suspend Ms. Doan immediately - the administration should not offer amnesty for GSA Directors who violate the law.
UPDATE: The Gavel will have highlights from the hearing throughout the day. Here is Rep. Henry Waxman’s opening statement:
WAXMAN: Ms. Doan didn’t just disparage the employees [who gave information about her statements to the Committee], under oath she told the Special Counsel, and again I quote, ‘until extensive rehabilitation of their performance occurs, they will not be getting promoted, they will not be getting bonuses or special awards or anything of that nature.’ Apparently Ms. Doan’s position is that it is fine for her to retaliate against her employees by denying them promotions, bonuses and awards so long as she does so in secret and no one knows about it.
And the Waxman Video from YouTube:
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