Political Retaliation at GSA
by Brian Beutler, The Media Consortium: Wed., Jun 13, 2007
Filed under: House Oversight Committee Reports
The General Services Administration usually goes about its bureaucratic work quietly and without controversy. But on Wednesday, Lurita Doan, head administrator of the GSA, was on the heat seat at a House hearing. She tried to deflect allegations that she promised to retaliate against GSA employees who had testified that she’d used government offices to help political candidates.The inquiry—hosted by the House Government Reform Committee—followed up Doan’s last testimony before the same committee on March 28 regarding allegations that she violated the Hatch Act, a statute that precludes public officials from using taxpayer-funded buildings for partisan purposes.
On January 26, 2007, Doan attended a brownbag lunch for GSA employees which featured a PowerPoint presentation titled “2008 House Targets: Top 20.” At the lunch—whose special guest was a deputy in Karl Rove’s political affairs office—Doan allegedly said that the GSA could be used to “help our candidates.” Doan claimed today that she “thought [the lunch] was going to be a motivational speech” and has repeatedly claimed that she does not recall offering to give the Republican Party political assistance in her capacity as administrator.
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