by Katherine Tully-McManus and Christopher Cadelago at Politico
The White House has removed the Capitol complex’s top manager from his post following a series of misconduct revelations that prompted calls for his axing by top lawmakers in both parties.
Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton will depart seven years before his term is up under pressure from lawmakers across the Capitol. He faced a crescendo of criticism following a heated oversight hearing last week that centered on an internal watchdog report that cataloged his broad misuse of department resources.
The White House letter to Blanton was brief and terse: “At the direction of President Biden, I am writing to inform you that your appointment as Architect of the Capitol is terminated effective 5:00 p.m. today,” read the notification from Gautam Raghavan, assistant to the president for presidential personnel.
There was bipartisan praise for Blanton’s firing,…