UPDATE: WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill made the following statement after reviewing a letter from the White House outlining the reasons for terminating Gerald Walpin, the Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service.  McCaskill expressed disappointment that the White House initially failed to follow proper procedure by not giving the reasons for Walpin’s removal; however, the additional information provided late Tuesday in a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee put the White House in full compliance with the notice requirement in the law.  The law was authored by McCaskill and requires the president to give Congress 30 days advance notice of an IG’s dismissal, along with reasons for the termination.

 

“Last night, in response to my request for adequate information on the firing of Inspector General for the Corporation for National and Community Service Gerald Walpin, the White House submitted a letter to Senators Lieberman and Collins that now puts the White House in full compliance with the notice requirement in the law.  The next step for Congress is to use the 30 days provided by the notice to seek further information and undertake any further review that might be necessary. The reasons given in the most recent White House letter are substantial and the decision to remove Walpin appears well founded.”

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McCaskill's Original Statement from June 16th, 2009