Washington Post Editorial: Unethical Architect of the Capitol and the WaPo “Lie of Omission”

The Sunday/6 Nov 2022 Washington Post had an editorial with this headline:

THE POST'S VIEW

Opinion

Another Trump appointee provides a lesson in ethical misconduct

By the Editorial Board

November 5, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
This WaPo editorial was about the inappropriate conduct of retired U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Commander J. Brett Blanton who was appointed Architect of the Capitol by President Trump and unanimously confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on 16 January 2020. He is still in that position. The Office of the Inspector General issued a report last month accusing him of “administrative, ethical and policy violations.”
The editorial correctly criticized him for his inappropriate conduct but then falsely implied he was unqualified for the position by including this “cheap shot”:  “The architect of the Capitol (not, in this case, actually an accredited architect).”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/05/brett-blanton-trump-appointee-capitol-architect-misconduct/

My wife took umbrage with this WaPo “cheap shot” and listed in a comment Blanton’s impressive technical and educational credentials showing he was more than qualified to be the Architect of the Capitol. The WaPo obviously did not appreciate having their “lie of omission” exposed so removed her comment and replaced it with this:

“This commenter has been removed by a moderator for violating our community guidelines.”

Would WaPo readers like to know what the comment was that was removed and replaced with that comment? Here it is and you decide for yourself if the WaPo “community guideline” violated was pointing out the WaPo was guilty of misleading readers by implying Blanton was unqualified for the job.

Removed Comment;

I agree Blanton has acted inappropriately and should be fired but the WaPo is dishonestly implying Mr. Blanton was technically not qualified to be the Architect of the Capitol in the first place.

Blanton earned his Master of Science from the Virginia Tech in Ocean Engineering and his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering and a Certified Energy Manager. He served in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps for 22 years managing billions of dollars worth of construction, facilities maintenance and general engineering projects.

When it comes to qualifications, Blanton is possibly the most technically qualified professional to hold the position in the last hundred years. Implying a Licensed Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering and a Certified Energy Manager is not qualified to be the Architect of the Capitol is like saying a heart surgeon is not qualified to give a flu shot but the WaPo intentionally omitted his qualifications. Instead, they gave the impression he was not technically qualified for the position. That is the quintessential “lie by omission

A Certified Professional Engineer (PE) is a little more than just an architect, a PE includes everything an architect needs to know and the ability to actually build the pretty structure the architect drew but has no idea if it’s even technically feasible or buildable.

There are “lies of commission” where the WaPo just publishes outright false information or Fake News and “lies of omission” where the WaPo just leaves out important details or pieces of information to mislead viewers. The WaPo has proven to be a master at both but this article is an excellent example of a “lie of omission.”

As a Civil Engineer PE he is far more qualified in the areas required for the position than anyone with the far less technical ARE but the WaPo intentionally omitted this. Instead, they gave the impression he was not technically qualified for the position. That is the quintessential “lie of omission.”