Gulf Oil Spill After-effects: Elizabeth Birnbaum Fired Or Resigned
Elizabeth Birnbaum's departure, immediately after President Obama's Interior Secretary Ken Salazar promised to root out all the “bad apples” yesterday at the house hearing, seems like she has been plucked from the tree.
Birnbaum, the head of Minerals Management Service was at the same hearing.
Elizabeth Birnbaum's departure was first reported as “firing” and later a “Resignation”. When asked for clarity President Obama told the press corps that he had no idea.
"Did she resign," asked CBS White House Correspondent Chip Reid. "Was she fired? Was she forced out? And if so, why?"
"I found out about her resignation today," the president answered, "so I don't know the circumstances in which this occurred."
Sceptical corps asked: "How is it that you didn't know about Ms. Birnbaum's resignation/firing before?"
Obama: "Well, you're assuming it was a firing. If it was a resignation, then she would have submitted a letter to Mr. Salazar this morning at a time when I had a whole bunch of other stuff going on... Come on, I don't know. I'm telling you I found out about it this morning. So I don't yet know the circumstances, and Ken Salazar has been in testimony on the Hill."
However, the testimony on the Hill from Interior Secretary only seemed to add to the mixed message. Mr. Obama called Birnbaum a “strong leader” and added “we have done tremendous work.”
Birnbaum was expected to join Ken Salazar in the testimony, which obviously did not happen because of her resignation. In prepared testimony, she planned to tell the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment: "The Secretary has expressed his appreciation and full support of the Inspector General's strong work to root out the bad apples in MMS and we will follow through on her recommendations, including taking any and all appropriate personnel actions including termination, discipline, and referrals of any wrongdoing for criminal prosecution."
Birnbaum departed before she could deliver her remarks. She hadn’t been at the MMS even for a year but nonetheless had become the highest-level casualty of MMS’s lax oversight and ties to oil.
