OPM Director’s Resignation Statement Contains 3 Errors

Did outgoing OPM Director Katherine Archuleta write her own resignation statement? Perhaps it’s better to ask: Did she even bother to read her own resignation statement? In any case, the last word on Archuleta’s tenure contains three embarrassing mistakes in the span of 10 sentences.

The statement is written in the first person as if drafted by Archuleta herself, though it’s certainly possible it was put together by staffers on her behalf. In any case, the statement sent out by OPM has some obvious errors. At one point it reads, “I have complete confidence in their ability to continue fulfill OPM’s important mission.”

Granted that’s the kind of typo anyone could make, but another error in the statement is more glaring. Archuleta (or someone working on her behalf) uses the same sentence twice, once in the first paragraph and once more to close the statement. It appears the line was cut, pasted, and slightly revised, but at some point the author apparently forgot the prior version was still in the text.

Both sentences start, “I conveyed to the President that I believe it is best for me to step aside and allow new leadership…” And both sentences end, “…the agency to move beyond the current challenges and allow the employees at OPM to continue their important work.”

The version of the sentence at the end of the statement also contains another typo. It reads, “leadership that will enab le the agency…”

Aside from the typos and cut and paste errors, Archuleta’s statement also expresses her pride in “our IT Strategic Plan.” Given that her ouster is the result of the theft of personal data on 25 million Americans, the strategic plan seems to have been somewhat less than ideal.

During a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, Archuleta was asked twice if she intended to step down. Both times she replied that she had no intention to do so.