Lieberman: White House was justified in firing AmeriCorps IG

The top Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees federal inspectors general said Thursday that the White House had "ample justification" to fire AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., said in a statement that, despite "an early question" about how President Obama's team handled Walpin's dismissal, "there is now general agreement the administration has followed both the spirit and the letter of the law" in notifying Congress about the decision.

White House officials, who say Walpin had engaged in "troubling and inappropriate conduct" and had been "confused and disoriented" in a recent meeting of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, briefed committee aides on the matter this week.

After his committee staff was briefed by White House ethics chief Norm Eisen, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., also said Thursday that "there was cause to remove Mr. Walpin based on misconduct."

While Democrats appear to have mostly dropped their objections to Walpin's firing, Republicans continue to raise questions. On Thursday, Sens. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, became the latest lawmakers to seek more information from the White House about Walpin's dismissal.