Posted on 12/10/2004 8:09:32 PM PST by Jeff Head
In a surprise move, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik abruptly withdrew his nomination as President Bush (news - web sites)'s choice to be homeland security secretary Friday night, saying questions have arisen about the immigration status of a housekeeper and nanny he employed.
The decision caught the White House off guard and sent Bush in search of a new candidate to run the sprawling bureaucracy of more than 180,000 employees melded together from 22 disparate federal agencies in 2003.
Kerik informed Bush of his decision to withdraw in a telephone call at 8:30 p.m. EST. "I am convinced that, for personal reasons, moving forward would not be in the best interests of your administration, the Department of Homeland Security or the American people," Kerik said in a letter to the president.
The White House said Bush accepted Kerik's decision.
One administration official helping prepare Kerik for Senate confirmation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Kerik's unexpected decision shocked senior leaders at the Homeland Security Department. This official said Kerik still had not filled out all his ethics filings — which would detail his sources of income and financial liabilities — and said the FBI (news - web sites) background investigation of Kerik was still incomplete.
But the only moderately troubling information uncovered about Kerik so far was news that Kerik had earned $6.2 million by exercising stock options he received from Taser International, which did lucrative business with the Department of Homeland Security, this official said.
Kerik said the problematic issue arose as he was completing documents required for Senate confirmation. "I uncovered information that now leads me to question the immigration status of a person who had been in my employ as a housekeeper and nanny. It has also been brought to my attention that for a period of time during such employment required tax payments and related filings had not been made."
Kerik said he feared that the disclosure of the issue would generate intense scrutiny that would "only serve as a significant and unnecessary distraction to the vital efforts of the Department of Homeland Security."
"I read on Drudge it was a 'Nanny Gate' tax affair."
Really too early to believe anything. Another "newsbreak" mentions a stun-gun company which sold product to Homeland Security and expected to do more. Kerik has some interest in the company.
Another "newsbreak" tells how even Ted Kennedy supported the guy, along with other major player Democrats, but minutes after the nomination was announced, an opposition group circulated an attack paper listing his vulnerabilities.
Maybe Kerik stood back and took a cold look at the landscape, then said to himself, "Who needs to go through this BS?"
FGS
32 point.
But the only moderately troubling information uncovered about Kerik so far was news that Kerik had earned $6.2 million by exercising stock options he received from Taser International, which did lucrative business with the Department of Homeland Security, this official said.
Are you happier now?
Would love to see Guliani in this post, but he probably has other interests---and it is kind of thankless job...if nothing happens, no one cares, and the Left bitches about 'civil and personal rights being abused'...but you sure will get blamed if there is another attack...sure do not know who would want the job
texasflower wrote:
Hmm. Well at least he dropped out let the White House know instead of having embarrasing stuff come out in a confirmation hearing.
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Totally agree. Best thing he could have done. The MSM is going to put every nominee Bush presents under their biased micrcopes, so these people better either be sqeaky clean or find a way to keep those skeletons under lock and key.
Yes it is. Like I said to another poster, if he had any question about his own housekeeper/nanny, then he should have not gone down this road to begin with...and if he didn't know, then that raises even more concerns IMHO.
The 6.2 million dollar stock option looks like the real reason.
No he's not. If he hired an illegal alien as a housekeeper and another (?) aa a nanny, he was breaking the law. At the same time he was a law enforcement officer and was applying for a job that is a combination of law enforcement, counter intelligence and various quasi military functions. Not what I'd call honest.
Hmm, I thought everyone had an illegal immigrant baby sitter, house cleaner, landscapper, cook, and balls scratcher that were payed under the table.
Now I'll give Kerik the benefit of the doubt but I'm not liking the near slavery system we have here. Slaves can eventually revolt and its not like they don't want "their territories" back.
spend political capital? not for kerik.. just for annan.
ahh - not his nanny's taxes, per se - but the income taxes HE was suppose to pay as her employer - it's called "tax evasion" - and usually people don't pay it because the nanny is an illegal - soo-ooo, not really a little thing for a law enforcement person
lets hope she didnt save her wages and is now attending flight school.
Much thanks. I saw that.
Mort Zuckerman was on Scarborough a little while ago with Pat Buchanan. He seems to think reporters were set to unleash a string of accusations based upon their investigative research, that Kerik was probably tipped off by the calls from reporters asking for comment on this or that incident from his past, and something caused him to undercut the mob by withdrawing his nomination. Only caught part of the discussion, so I don't whether Zuckerman let slip anything USNews might have been working.
Considering his long exposure through the NYPD, New York Department of Corrections, city and state politics . . . and simply his private life . . . impossible to know, unless he tells us, why he really withdrew. Personal reasons sounds good.
At this moment, Fox is hyping up the Nanny-gate aspect . . . Yep, personal reasons sounds good to me.
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