Brown Bagging Gets Complicated
Lurita Doan sat down in a hot seat that keeps getting hotter by the minute. Less than a year ago Bush nominated Doan to head the federal General Services Administration. After Senate confirmation she replaced the acting administrator who had stepped in after Stephen A. Perry resigned.
Perry dropped out in October 2005 after heading GSA for four years. Coincidentally, he left about the same time that his top man, David Safavian, was charged with obstruction of justice over events which linked Safavian to bad boy lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Before hiring on at GSA, Safavian was a White House aid. His contact with Abramoff dated back to at least that time. In March 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to bribe public officials and in June a jury convicted Safavian.
The purpose of GSA is to acquire space, products, and services for federal agencies. It assists with office operations of more than one million federal workers and determines government-wide policies.
But for a long while the agency has suffered from insufficient leadership. It likely would have collapsed but for the endurance of nine-to-five workers who keep the headless skeleton glued.
Prior to her appointment, Doan's business history with GSA was a private contractor. She sold security and surveillance equipment to various government agencies. Other than that involvement, it doesn't appear Doan had background to operate an agency. So, does it surprise anyone other than Doan that after she jumped into the frying pan she caught fire?
Doan appeared before a House committee last week to respond to allegations but for the most part she was evasive. She suffered from selective amnesia common to public servants who are pushed for accountability.
As if it would shield her from a group of lawyer legislators, Doan asserted to the committee she wasn't a lawyer. Unmoved, questions rat-a-tat-tatted reminiscent of Machine Gun Kelley. Doan unsuccessfully tried to dodge the bullets. She didn't do it well.
After continuously evading the most basic questions, a frustrated Committee member asked one so simple even a four-year old could answer. Did she know what a target was? Doan paused then replied she did because she was a target.
It was clear she didn't have the polish most agency heads display. She tried to substitute cute, smiles, and eye talk in place of real answers. When she learned that wouldn't fly, her anger and arrogance unveiled. She flopped.
As GSA creme de la creme she quickly skinned her knees. The Inspector General checked out a complaint against her that alleged she ignored legal protocol in letting a contract and unilaterally, without bid, awarded it to a friend with whom she had a long history.
Another contract brought her problems, too. Apparently, Doan put out the word that she wanted to contract with Sun Microsystems and she didn't expect to meet resistance. However, a GSA employee warned of negative implications and refused to approve it. Magically, he simply was removed from duties and his replacement was happy to sign off on the contract.
Then there was the GOP Power Point presentation. In January, a White House deputy director of political affairs displayed to Doan and forty of her regional administrators a number of ways to help Republican candidates. It included target democrat slots which GOP suggested are vulnerable. The presentation was a GOP political strategy for the 2008 election. Although Doan refused to admit it, it was reported she pressured her administrators to help Republican candidates in the next elections.
When directly asked whether she did so, Doan replied she couldn't even remember if she attended the luncheon. She was asked three times in succession whether it would have been proper for her to have done so. Each time she refused to answer on the basis she didn't want to interfere with an on-going investigation.
After being called out for her evasive responses, Doan bungled again. Almost flippantly, she replied the presentation had taken place during a monthly brown bag luncheon which she uses as a team-building meeting. She looked oblivious to official misconduct implications that the political briefing occurred during work hours, at the GSA building, using government supplies and equipment, and in violation of the Federal Hatch Act which prohibits such activities.
With the exception of the tongue lashings she received, throughout the hearing Doan's wide-eye innocent little girl expression projected that she took the matter lightly. Her attitude may have added spice to an already boiling pot.
GSA does need competent, ethical leadership.
© Coninc., TheDownsideUp.Com 2007
Perry dropped out in October 2005 after heading GSA for four years. Coincidentally, he left about the same time that his top man, David Safavian, was charged with obstruction of justice over events which linked Safavian to bad boy lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Before hiring on at GSA, Safavian was a White House aid. His contact with Abramoff dated back to at least that time. In March 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to bribe public officials and in June a jury convicted Safavian.
The purpose of GSA is to acquire space, products, and services for federal agencies. It assists with office operations of more than one million federal workers and determines government-wide policies.
But for a long while the agency has suffered from insufficient leadership. It likely would have collapsed but for the endurance of nine-to-five workers who keep the headless skeleton glued.
Prior to her appointment, Doan's business history with GSA was a private contractor. She sold security and surveillance equipment to various government agencies. Other than that involvement, it doesn't appear Doan had background to operate an agency. So, does it surprise anyone other than Doan that after she jumped into the frying pan she caught fire?
Doan appeared before a House committee last week to respond to allegations but for the most part she was evasive. She suffered from selective amnesia common to public servants who are pushed for accountability.
As if it would shield her from a group of lawyer legislators, Doan asserted to the committee she wasn't a lawyer. Unmoved, questions rat-a-tat-tatted reminiscent of Machine Gun Kelley. Doan unsuccessfully tried to dodge the bullets. She didn't do it well.
After continuously evading the most basic questions, a frustrated Committee member asked one so simple even a four-year old could answer. Did she know what a target was? Doan paused then replied she did because she was a target.
It was clear she didn't have the polish most agency heads display. She tried to substitute cute, smiles, and eye talk in place of real answers. When she learned that wouldn't fly, her anger and arrogance unveiled. She flopped.
As GSA creme de la creme she quickly skinned her knees. The Inspector General checked out a complaint against her that alleged she ignored legal protocol in letting a contract and unilaterally, without bid, awarded it to a friend with whom she had a long history.
Another contract brought her problems, too. Apparently, Doan put out the word that she wanted to contract with Sun Microsystems and she didn't expect to meet resistance. However, a GSA employee warned of negative implications and refused to approve it. Magically, he simply was removed from duties and his replacement was happy to sign off on the contract.
Then there was the GOP Power Point presentation. In January, a White House deputy director of political affairs displayed to Doan and forty of her regional administrators a number of ways to help Republican candidates. It included target democrat slots which GOP suggested are vulnerable. The presentation was a GOP political strategy for the 2008 election. Although Doan refused to admit it, it was reported she pressured her administrators to help Republican candidates in the next elections.
When directly asked whether she did so, Doan replied she couldn't even remember if she attended the luncheon. She was asked three times in succession whether it would have been proper for her to have done so. Each time she refused to answer on the basis she didn't want to interfere with an on-going investigation.
After being called out for her evasive responses, Doan bungled again. Almost flippantly, she replied the presentation had taken place during a monthly brown bag luncheon which she uses as a team-building meeting. She looked oblivious to official misconduct implications that the political briefing occurred during work hours, at the GSA building, using government supplies and equipment, and in violation of the Federal Hatch Act which prohibits such activities.
With the exception of the tongue lashings she received, throughout the hearing Doan's wide-eye innocent little girl expression projected that she took the matter lightly. Her attitude may have added spice to an already boiling pot.
GSA does need competent, ethical leadership.
© Coninc., TheDownsideUp.Com 2007
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posted by KKHC | 10:07 PM
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