John Gibbs (government official)

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John Gibbs
John-Gibbs-HUD.jpg
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Community Planning and Development
Acting
In office
May 2018 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Succeeded byArthur Jemison (acting)
Personal details
EducationStanford University (BS)
Harvard University (MPA)

John Gibbs is a former American government official, political commentator, and software engineer. During the Trump administration, Gibbs held roles in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and was acting assistant secretary of housing and urban development for community planning and development.[1] In 2020, Trump nominated Gibbs to be director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, though he was never confirmed.[2][3]

Early life and education[]

Gibbs is a native of Lansing, Michigan.[4] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Stanford University and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.[5]

Career[]

Business[]

Gibbs was employed by Symantec, Palm, and Apple as a software engineer. He worked in Japan for the evangelical Christian ministry WorldVenture for nearly seven years and is fluent in Japanese.[5]

Political commentary[]

Gibbs has a history of making inflammatory and conspiratorial remarks on his Twitter feed,[1] including numerous tweets promoting fringe concepts and figures.[6] On four occasions, he spread the false conspiracy theory that John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign took part in a "Satanic ritual," a claim propagated by far-right bloggers.[1][7] In early-2016, Gibbs used the term "cucks" (a derogatory word applied by the far-right to attack moderate Republicans); he has also attacked Democrats as the party of "Islam, gender-bending, anti-police."[1][7] In a July 2020 interview with the Washington Examiner, in response to criticism of his past remarks he said, "I don't really see anything to apologize for."[8] In later Senate testimony, he stated "I regret that it's unfortunately become an issue."[9]

Trump administration[]

Gibbs was a conservative commentator before joining the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a political appointee and advisor to Secretary Ben Carson.[10] He was a frequent contributor to The Federalist, a right-wing website, and wrote in support of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.[11] He endorsed the notion that incoming federal employees be "loyal" to Trump.[12]

Gibbs did not have housing experience before his appointment to HUD.[10] Gibbs's first position at HUD was director of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative. By the time Gibbs was appointed, the Trump administration had already shuttered the Obama-era initiative, and so Gibbs never directed the program. In August 2017, Gibbs became a senior adviser in HUD's Office of the assistant secretary for community planning and development, and then became acting assistant secretary.[7]

In 2020, President Donald Trump nominated Gibbs to be director of the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce of about 2.1 million employees and acts as the executive branch's human resources function.[6][12] During a September 2020 confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee,[6] Gibbs deflected questions over past conspiracy tweets.[11] Senators in both parties expressed concerns about Gibbs' fitness to hold office.[12] His nomination was opposed by federal employees' associations, including the National Treasury Employees Union and Senior Executives Association, which cited Gibbs' history of inflammatory comments and expressed concerns about his commitment to the merit system.[12]

Gibbs' nomination was "held over" by the committee in September 2020, meaning that he did not receive a vote.[12] He was never confirmed by the Senate, and his nomination lapsed in January 2021 at the end of the 116th Congress.[2][3] After Gibbs' nomination stalled, Trump appointed him as a member of the administration's 1776 Commission.[13]

2022 congressional campaign[]

In November 2021, Gibbs announced his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd congressional district. He is running in the Republican primary election against incumbent congressman Peter Meijer, a Republican who voted to impeach President Trump.[14] On November 15, 2021, Trump endorsed Gibbs.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Andrew Kaczynski, Trump's pick to head Office of Personnel Management spread 'satanic' conspiracy theory, called Democrats party of 'Islam' and 'gender-bending', CNN (July 22, 2020).
  2. ^ a b President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post, White House (July 20, 2020)
  3. ^ a b "PN2103 — John Gibbs — Office of Personnel Management, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". Congress.gov. United States Congress.
  4. ^ "John Gibbs HUD « Silicon Harlem". Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  5. ^ a b Adam Mazmanian, Trump taps HUD official to lead OPM, Federal Soup (July 21, 2020).
  6. ^ a b c Eric Yoder, He tweeted about a conspiracy theory and "gender bending." Now Trump wants him to run the Office of Personnel Management., Washington Post (September 10, 2021).
  7. ^ a b c Andrew Kaczynski, Senior adviser at HUD spread conspiracy theory that Clinton campaign chairman was Satanist, CNN (March 8, 2018).
  8. ^ Crilly, Rob (July 30, 2020). "Trump nominee rejects criticism over tweets". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Nann Burke, Melissa (November 15, 2021). "Trump staffer Gibbs launches campaign for Congress in district held by Meijer". The Detroit News.
  10. ^ a b Tracy Jan, Ben Carson's HUD: Political loyalty required, no experience necessary, Washington Post (September 20, 2018).
  11. ^ a b Adam Mazmanian, OPM nominee deflects questions about conspiracy tweets, Federal Computer Week (September 10, 2020).
  12. ^ a b c d e Erich Wagner, TSP Board Nominees Advance From Committee, But Vote on OPM Nominee Postponed, Government Executive (September 16, 2020).
  13. ^ David Weigel, The Trailer: Democrats say Build Back Better can save them. Does their data back that up?, Washington Post (November 16, 2021).
  14. ^ Nann Burke, Melissa (November 15, 2021). "Trump staffer Gibbs launches campaign for Congress in district held by Meijer". The Detroit News.
  15. ^ Greenwood, Max (November 12, 2021). "Trump endorses primary challenger to Peter Meijer in Michigan". The Hill.
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