Obama to Remove National-Service Inspector General

President Obama plans to remove Gerald Walpin, the inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service, from his post, the corporation announced today in a statement.

Mr. Walpin recently issued a report critical of an AmeriCorps program that provides money to the Teaching Fellows project at City University of New York that was contested by the corporation, according to an article in the publication Youth Today.

But an official at the corporation, which operates AmeriCorps and other national-service programs, said the decision to fire him was not connected to that report and was made before the document was issued on June 4.

“The president has lost confidence in the inspector general and wants to appoint someone in whom he has full confidence,” the official said.

The corporation’s statement said Alan Solomont, the agency’s board chair; Stephen Goldsmith, the vice chair; and Eric Tanenblatt, chair of the board’s management, audit, and governance committee, all strongly support the president’s decision.

The corporation official said Mr. Walpin, who was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served in the position since January 2007, will be required to leave his post in 30 days.

Kenneth Bach, the agency’s assistant inspector general for support, was named acting inspector general.

Mr. Walpin, who lives in New York, could not be immediately reached for comment.