Folks, these “distractions” are starting to tax my nerves.
President Barack Obama’s pick to be chief performance officer, Nancy Killefer, dropped out after disclosing she failed to perform a chief responsibility of any American: paying taxes.
In a letter to the President, Killefer wrote:
I recognize that your agenda and the duties facing your Chief Performance Officer are urgent. I have also come to realize in the current environment that my personal tax issue of D.C. Unemployment tax could be used to create exactly the kind of distraction and delay those duties must avoid. Because of this I must reluctantly ask you to withdraw my name from consideration.
Well, Question No. 37 of the Background Questionnaire asks about that “kind of distraction”:
Has a tax lien or other collection procedure ever been instituted against you or your spouse by federal, state or local authorities? If so, describe the circumstances and the resolution of the matter.
A few hours later, Tom Daschle bowed to mounting pressure and withdrew his name for consideration for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Killefer, Daschle apparently skipped No. 39:
Have you ever been or do you have any expectation that you will be the subject of any tax, financial, or other audit or inquiry? If so, please describe.
Meanwhile, blacks and Latinos are raising questions about another Cabinet nominee, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg.
Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman, Rep. Barbara Lee, released the following statement:
The Department of Commerce has sweeping jurisdiction over a host of agencies charged with serving as business incubators. As Secretary, Sen. Gregg would play a vitally important role as the administration and Congress work to move our nation toward economic recovery.
Two of the most important responsibilities of the Commerce Department are to ensure that minority-owned businesses are fully integrated in our nation’s economic recovery and to conduct the decennial census.
In this light, Sen. Gregg’s record of previously voting to abolish the Commerce Department and his attempts to block President Bill Clinton’s efforts to secure adequate funding for the 2000 census raise troubling concerns regarding his commitment to the department’s core missions.
As the Census Bureau prepares for another count in 2010, it is important to ensure the census is fully funded to guarantee a thorough and fair counting of all Americans.
I trust that Sen. Gregg’s confirmation process will allow for the detailed examination of his past record and future commitment to the mission of the Commerce Department.
CNN contributor Donna Brazile told Wolf Blitzer “this is a wake up call” for the Obama administration.
Indeed. Sean Hannity gloated over Obama’s screw-up. Hannity said, “In a few short hours, the house of cards on Pennsylvania Avenue came tumbling down.”
