Many Americans will likely be surprised to learn that there’s such a thing as the uppercased Architect of the Capitol, rather than merely the architect of the Capitol — William Thornton, who designed the building in the late 1700s. But there is, and the man occupying this presidentially appointed position today has made the most of it, at taxpayers’ expense.
The Office of the Inspector General issued a report last month identifying a series of “administrative, ethical and policy violations” by J. Brett Blanton, appointed by President Donald Trump and sworn in in early 2020. The actions catalogued tell an almost comic story of corruption: The architect and his family logged nearly 20,000 extra miles in his government SUVs driving to a craft brewery as well as destinations as far away as Florida. His daughter even used the SUVs to cruise around with her friends and boyfriend, calling the fuel “free gas.” This included swerving through a Tysons Corner, Va., Walmart parking garage at 65 mph.
Finally, the real doozy: After a vehicle hit his daughter’s boyfriend’s car, Mr. Blanton activated the emergency equipment in his SUV to role-play a police chase — including leading local law enforcement to believe he was a cop in a ruse that lasted throughout the entire court proceedings.
This is, to some extent, just another story of a Trump appointee displaying the same disregard for the norms of good government as his appointor. Yet, in this case, the lapses must be particularly galling for members of Congress who are rightly demanding Mr. Blanton’s resignation. The architect of the Capitol (not, in this case, actually an accredited architect) is responsible for caring for the grounds and buildings in the vast complex where legislative activity takes place. The reason his SUV has sirens he can inappropriately flip on is his membership on the Capitol Police Board, charged with keeping the facilities safe. Yet he doesn’t seem to care much for protecting U.S. property; instead he appears to treat it like a toy.
Despite the architect’s role as an agent of the legislature, appointees can effectively only be hired and fired by the executive. Congress has considered changing that but abandoned its efforts over constitutional uncertainties. Nonetheless, it should consider again. In the meantime, legislators should take seriously the confirmation and oversight of positions so enmeshed in their daily operations. For now, however, it’s up to President Biden to show Mr. Blanton the way out — preferably in his personal vehicle.
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Read More: Opinion | Capitol Architect Brett Blanton provides a lesson in ethical
