Michael Brown still on payroll, Democrats try to pull a fast one
This is from a press release on a letter to President Bush from Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, David Obey, Henry A. Waxman, and Bennie Thompson:
We are writing to urge you to immediately terminate Michael Brown's ongoing consulting contract with the Department of Homeland Security. After Mr. Brown's dismal performance in preparing for and responding to Hurricane Katrina, your Administration's decision to continue paying Mr. Brown an annual salary of $148,000 is inexplicable and a gross waste of taxpayer dollars.
After being relieved of his Katrina-related duties, Mr. Brown resigned as Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response on September 12. Two weeks later, Mr. Brown testified before Congress and confirmed that he was continuing to receive his salary as a consultant to FEMA. (1) Amazingly, he had been asked to stay on the payroll for 30 days in order to determine what went wrong with FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. The Department of Homeland Security justified the contract by saying that Mr. Brown was "transitioning out of his job" and that FEMA needed to get a "proper download of his experience."(2)
Now, we have learned that Mr. Brown's contract has been extended for another 30 days. That is unacceptable. Incredibly, Secretary Chertoff defended the decision to retain Mr. Brown by saying, "We don't want to sacrifice the real ability to get a full picture of Mike's experiences."(3)
Lets see... Michael Brown resigned on Sept. 12 with a 30 day notice, which was extended 30 days, (sound of calendar flipping), (sound of calculator keys), Hmmmm. His time is up in TWO DAYS!!! Yup - looks like just a cheap press stunt for political points.
D'ya think Nancy will claim credit for Brown leaving at the end of this week?
