Saturday, November 23, 2013

False Job Numbers: Did the White House Know?

By  John Crudele

Let me be the first to ask: Did the White House know that employment reports were being falsified?

Last week I reported exclusively that someone at the Census Bureau’s Philadelphia region had been screwing around with employment data. And that person, after he was caught in 2010, claimed he was told to do so by a supervisor two levels up the chain of command.

On top of that, a reliable source whom I haven’t identified said the falsification of employment data by Census was widespread and ongoing, especially around the time of the 2012 election.

There’s now a congressional investigation of how Census handles employment data. And we can hope that we’ll find out this was just an isolated incident.

But let me tell you why it might not be.

Back in 2009 — right before the 2010 census of the nation was taken — there was an announcement that the Obama administration had decided that the Census Bureau would report to senior White House aides.

The rumor was that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was in charge of the nationwide head count.
The chief of the Commerce Department usually oversees the Census, which determines how many congressional representatives and how much money each state gets for the next decade. But the Obama administration had decided — the story went — that Emanuel was a better guy for the job.
The idea that a political creature like Emanuel would be calling the shots on how states would be redistricted in coming elections sent Republicans into a tizzy.

“This is nothing more than a political land grab,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).
Other Republicans expressed similar dismay. And the tension got so high that Judd Gregg, a Republican senator from New Hampshire, even withdrew his nomination to be Commerce secretary. (Gary Locke assumed that post.)

And why wouldn’t the Republicans be bothered? Even though the average American might think the census is nothing more than a nuisance, by Washington’s two most important standards — votes and money — it’s anything but.

So here’s where my story picks up.

Back in 2010, I started getting reports that the Census Bureau had some very unusual hiring practices. Census takers and supervisors — at risk of heavy fines — were reporting to me that large numbers of people were being hired only to be fired shortly afterward. And then rehired.
I theorized at the time that Census was trying to make the job-creation totals look better nationwide in those bleak months leading up to the midterm congressional elections.

This employment policy seemed too coordinated. The regional higher-ups at Census couldn’t be doing this on their own; there had to be a grander plan.

I still don’t know what was going on.

But then I heard about the falsification in Philly. This time, however, it wasn’t the employment numbers that were being doodled with. This time it was the unemployment data, which are gathered at the Census Bureau and handed over raw to the Labor Department.

Read the rest here.

3 comments:

  1. I'm not sure it matters whether or not the administration knew. They will deny, obstruct and simply dis obey any order that might have an adverse impact on them. They have been doing this- acting illegally- since the firing of Inspector Walpin just months after Obama took office.

    And the country does not care. And you can't make them care. That's the bottom line.

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  2. Of course they knew. The current regime doesn't miss a trick and their media apologists cover for them very effectively. We have a two party system - The Stupid Party (Republicans obviously) and the Evil Party. The Evil Party is cunning, ruthless, persistent, bold and full of hubris. The opposition are a bunch of ineffectual, cardboard cut out, business-as-usual empty suits. Guess who wins?

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  3. "False Job Numbers: Did the White House Know?"

    The mere fact that you have to ask the question indicates that you have not been envolved in the cesspool called Washington DC.

    For those of us that have, and managed to escape with reputation, integrity, and sanity intact, I can only reply WTF!!!

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