White House Fires Aide Who Wouldn’t Quit

The White House today fired Loretta Cornelius as deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management more than three months after she was asked to resign.

Cornelius, who has been performing no duties in the $73,500-a-year job, was informed of the decision in a brief letter from Robert H. Tuttle, director of White House personnel.

Cornelius angered Reagan Administration officials last spring when she gave Senate testimony at the confirmation hearings of her old boss, former OPM Director Donald J. Devine.

She told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee that Devine asked her to lie about a letter he signed delegating himself powers to run the agency after he stepped aside to await confirmation.

Cornelius became the agency’s acting director last March after Devine stepped down to become her executive assistant.

She told the panel that in April she discovered Devine had signed a letter delegating powers to run the agency to the executive assistant, thereby retaining control of OPM in his new job.

After her testimony, Devine withdrew his name from consideration to continue as OPM director. Constance Horner was appointed to the post and Cornelius was asked to resign last November.