United States President Joe Biden has fired the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), a figure responsible for the upkeep and operation of the buildings that house Congress and other key government offices, amid criticism that he abused his position.
J Brett Blanton, a civil engineer appointed to the role under former President Donald Trump, faced accusations of “administrative, ethical and policy violations”, as well as bipartisan condemnation for his actions during the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
His termination on Monday came shortly after Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil, the chair of the administration committee in the House of Representatives, issued a call for Blanton to “immediately resign”.
The top Republican in the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, likewise said on Monday that either Blanton should leave office “or President Biden should remove him immediately”.
“The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter on Monday.
The outcry comes after Blanton faced the House Administration Committee on Thursday, revealing that he chose to stay away from the Capitol after learning that supporters of then-President Trump had stormed the building, forcing legislators to flee.
“For every employee that works in this campus, whether they are maintenance people or members of Congress, that was a very difficult day. Very, very difficult day. A deadly day,” California Representative Norma Torres, a Democrat, told Blanton at the hearing.
Torres recalled how, on January 6, 2021, she and some of her colleagues were “stranded” on a balcony, hiding facedown while the only police officer nearby struggled to close a nearby door. The officer, she said, was not equipped with the proper keys.
