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'd think that Ronald the Great's CIA boss Casey would fit the post to a "t".
Just another example of how the left has crippled this country. So now he's worried about the tax status of an employee that will keep him from (and us) benefitting the US with his abilities. The anal orofice examination of anyone who might qualify for anything (from the right side of the equation) that keeps everyone "clean" will disqualify those who might show a little testosterone & will eventually cripple this nations ability to defend itself. I'm telling you folks, it's getting closer and closer, be prepared to defend yourselves because your outer armament is being stripped away by the PC culture. BUY AMMO. You will need it.
He broke the law, he deserves to go.
What the hell is going on? I can't believe that Bush got sandbagged!
Kerik is a total jerk that he didn't give up everything he knew would come out. He forgot? Not buying that! Also, this might be another CIA , etc. way to embarrass Bush.
This is disgusting.
Yeah, and since he's dead, he'd work for next to nothing.
Casey would have been fine as well.....
I watched a Discovery channel special the other night on Gulf War I. Reminded me of how much I liked the Bush I team.....James Baker, Powell, Scowcroft, Cheney, Schwartzkopf, Bush I......
I like GW, but I just don't like the people he surrounds himself with as much as his father's team on security and foreign policy. And I think GW's dad was much more on top of this type of stuff as "CEO" from his days at the CIA than W is.
The upside of this is that Tom Ridge might be staying a bit longer. Thats all good :o)
Only if he had been keeping her as a slave, which by the way is permitted in the Koran.
Think about it this way: The head of Homeland Security with an illegal who worked for him.
I for one am glad he resigned if he's hired illegal aliens at anytime during his past. I am sick of republicans and democrats not doing a damn thing about illegal immigration and I don't want any one who has actually hired them in the past running the department of homeland security.
We are never going to get serious about illegal immigration until some terrorist cross our borders and kill hundreds of Americans. The regular illegals who come here and rape and murder American citizens and cost tax payers billions of dollars are not enough to make our government take it serious. When a terrorist cross our southern border and kills Americans(It will eventually happen) then maybe our government will do something serious about this problem(Although I still have no faith in them doing enough when this happens). It's pathetic that more innocent American citizens will have to die before we do something about this problem.
Our Country is doomed to fall unless there is a very serious policy change in our illegal and legal immigration policy.
I'm not going to be the one... I have Christmas presents to buy.
http://cnbc.burrelles.com/product.asp?ProductID=439947
It wasn't a "WOW" interview, but it stuck with me. I thought, "glad this guy is on our side".
DM=SNL Black Sheep.
Paging Tommy Franks
The left didn't like this man from the get go
Would you trust anyone they did like?
"Kerik explained that he once worked for the Saudi's and that he is married to a Syrian, so he is in a good position to understand the radical Muslim mind. He is absolutely convinced that al Qaeda will again try for another spectacular event--they will try for another September 11th. "
http://www.tpromo.com/secmis/isc2004b.htm
(Las Vegas, Nevada (03/31/04) -- The keynote speaker for this year's Sixth Annual Industry Summit at ISC Expo West was Bernard B. Kerik, CEO, Giuliani-Kerik LLC, New York, NY. The theme of his talk was the continued security threat posed by Middle Eastern radical Muslim terrorist factions.)
Theres evil afoot here SLB.......gonna be a nooooze weekend for sure !
Awwwwwnuld can't get a kitchen pass from his rat wife to leave Kali IMO.
Read somewhere that his wife is a Syrian Muslim. Could that be the reason??
I doubt it. In fact (if true) I'd call it a plus.
What a shame. None of this stuff mattered before? Kerik's been all over the globe working for this administration and now there's a problem.
Bush should have let this one turn into a fight. We might just have won it.
It's pathetic when the most qualified people can't serve because of Democratic hyperpartisanship.
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