Dem Senators Call for HUD Chief’s Resignation

Something about HUD chief Alphonso Jackson’s reputation as the most cronyfied Bush administration official of all makes Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) think he might not be the best man for the job.

In a letter to President Bush today (which you can read in full below), the two, who chair on the two key oversight committees for HUD, say it’s time for Bush to pull the rug out from under his most loyal cabinet member.

Federal investigators are currently probing the limits of Jackson’s cronyism and whether he lied to congressional and HUD investigators when he proclaimed that he doesn’t touch contracts. Besides that, a suit by Philadelphia’s public housing director has exposed some of the embarrassing goings-on under Jackson. In testimony before Congress, Jackson has refused to comment on any of this, saying that he won’t comment on an ongoing investigation. The senators write that Jackson has “effectively reject[ed] our oversight role.”

The letter:

March 21, 2008

President George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. President:

We are deeply troubled by the growing number of allegations of impropriety on the part of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and the Secretary’s refusal to answer appropriate Congressional inquiries on these matters. We call on you to immediately request Secretary Jackson’s resignation.

The nation is in the midst of a housing crisis and it is imperative that the Department of Housing and Urban Development be headed by a leader who can work tirelessly to find solutions to the problems plaguing the housing and mortgage markets. Unfortunately, the allegations surrounding Secretary Jackson, as well as his rejection of appropriate Congressional oversight of his Department, undermine his ability to effectively address the current housing crisis. During this critical period, the American people do not need a HUD Secretary that is distracted by the clouds of Justice Department investigations and reports of an empanelled grand jury.

Despite four separate allegations of impropriety, as well as damning testimony by senior staff to the HUD Inspector General regarding Secretary Jackson inappropriately advising senior staff to take political affiliation into account in awarding contracts, the Secretary refused to answer legitimate Congressional inquiries about his conduct and the use of taxpayer funds at the Department. Last week, in two separate Committee hearings and in a written request, we asked for direct answers from Secretary Jackson regarding his activities in awarding three separate contracts, as well as his involvement in the case of alleged retaliation against the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Secretary Jackson refused to answer our questions, effectively rejecting our oversight role – a role we take seriously.

Given the testimony in the Inspector General report, the repeated allegations of impropriety, and the Secretary’s refusal to respond to both the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, we believe that Secretary Jackson is no longer able to effectively carry out his responsibilities and is unfit to serve as Secretary of HUD. We call on you to insist on Secretary Jackson’s resignation so that the senior leadership of the Department can focus all of its energies on meeting the housing needs of our nation.

Sincerely,

Senator Christopher Dodd

Senator Patty Murray