After calls for resignation, President Biden officially fired the twelfth Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton last Monday. It was said that Blanton “misused government resources” and was not physically present on Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, according to a White House official. Biden ultimately decided to fire Blanton in response to calls for his resignation from the likes of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, said the White House official. 

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) oversees the management of its grounds, maintaining and restoring the art and monuments that reside on the campus. In addition to heading the Capitol’s everyday operations, Blanton was one of the three voting members on the United States Capitol Police Board, which presides over the United States Capitol Police (USCP). 

Blanton was accused of ethical violations by the Office of the Inspector General for giving tours to “patriots” just weeks prior to the November 2020 election, when the Capitol’s doors were shut to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this is not the only accusation that the federal watchdog report held Blanton to. He was also accused of wasting taxpayer money and abusing government funds.

In an inspector general report from the Fall, Blanton was accused of abusing government property and wasting taxpayer dollars, revealing Blanton was allowing his family to use a government-owned vehicle for trips to South Carolina and Florida or personal transportation. This was considered an abuse of his official title as Architect of the Capitol since he was allowing the use of a government-owned vehicle for non-governmental purposes. 

It was found that Blanton was allowing multiple family members to use the AOC vehicle, including his adult daughter. She was reported to have used his vehicle to transport her friends and boyfriend. Blanton’s daughter said that her father gave her permission to use the vehicle. She also was abusing the vehicle’s fuel, referring to it as “free gas”. It was found that between the three AOC vehicles that Blanton was given, Blanton and his family used the vehicles nearly 19,000 miles over the allotted amount. 

Members of the House Committee on Administration held a hearing to review the report. Though many aspects were overlooked, Blanton’s absence from the insurrection was shocking among the court’s decisions, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were appalled by the fact that Blanton was not present on the day of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Blanton denied that he had done anything considered to be unethical.

“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, moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role,” Blanton said. 

Blanton defended his absence from the Capitol during the insurrection due to his inability to drive, claiming that there were too many people on the grounds for him to drive there. He also stated that he had been using his official vehicle on Jan. 6 as the Architect of the Capitol at his mobile command post. 

Steil then called for Blanton to resign last Monday, along with others who questioned Blanton including, Rep. Joe Morelle of New York. Morelle questioned why Blanton would use the excuse of his official title as Architect of the Capitol. Morelle believed Blanton just as easily could have “fulfilled the same function at home using a cell phone.”

Blanton suggested that the equipment he owned within his house would not have been sufficient due to a lack of police radios and other equipment that would have been needed to accurately perform his duties. 

Rep. Norma Torres of California expressed outrage by Blanton’s absence from the insurrection, stating that Blanton should have been there like everybody else, instead of being in a comfortable place, unthreatened, while the rest were concerned for their lives.