WHAT HEELS: Amtrak Axes IG For Doing His Job
Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold was good at his job. Too good. So the taxpayer-subsidized rail service forced him out, according to a joint staff report by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Washington Times reports:
Mr. Weiderhold departed in June 2009 after more than two decades as inspector general. His office had issued several findings that raised questions about practices inside Amtrak's law department, including its role in the restructuring of lease deals that cost Amtrak nearly $100 million and the "excessive use" of outside attorneys, the report found. …
According to the report, two months before he was told to resign or be fired during a meeting with Amtrak's board of directors, Mr. Weiderhold found out he was under investigation over an anonymous complaint that he failed to report vacation time and submit approved travel-expense requests.
The federal Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) investigated, telling Mr. Weiderhold on June 12 last year that "the facts, as set forth in the complaint, lacked the substantial likelihood of a violation of a law, rule or regulation, or gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds or abuse of authority," the report stated.
Six days later, Mr. Weiderhold showed up at an Amtrak board meeting [and] … [was presented with] a severance package and choice to retire or be removed "for cause," the report stated. …
The report also concluded that facts contradicted Amtrak management's statements that Mr. Weiderhold had resigned: "It was not a truly voluntary resignation as Amtrak management had suggested in public statements."
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