Posted on 01/07/2010 9:47:37 PM PST by pissant
For a while, it seemed the nomination and confirmation of Erroll Southers to head the Transportation Security Administration would be a routine affair. Southers' resume included time at the FBI, the California Office of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles airport security force. Qualified nominee, quick confirmation -- right?
Wrong. As the new year begins, the Southers nomination has become the latest Obama confirmation mess, raising questions not only about the nominee but the White House's selection process. And despite Democrats' daunting 60-vote majority, quick confirmation might not be in the cards.
The reason: a growing feeling among Republican senators that Southers misled them. The issue at hand is a 1988 incident in which Southers, then an FBI agent in California, was censured for improperly accessing a criminal database during a domestic dispute.
Southers told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (both panels had to vote on his nomination) about the incident in a sworn affidavit submitted in October. Southers said he was censured by the FBI because he had, 20 years ago, "asked a co-worker's husband, who worked for the San Diego police department, to run a database check on my ex-wife's new boyfriend." Southers explained that he had only been separated from his wife for a very brief time and was "concerned for the safety of her and my infant son." The search turned up an outstanding arrest warrant for the man, but Southers admitted that "it was a mistake to have used my official connections to investigate the matter."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Where is the outrage?
.
Thank God Jim DeMint put a hold on this moron.
"At that time, senators knew nothing about the new version of the story; "
At the time, senators knew nothing about the PERJURY.
yitbos
I did hear a brief comment that the White House was not aware of his ‘issues’ and the complaint now is about the ‘vetting’.
Same old story, nothing learned at all.
Thank you Senator DeMint. You make us proud!
The Democrats have 60 votes. So if the guy isn’t getting a vote, it’s because there is at least one Democrat/independent who isn’t willing to vote for the nominee. Plus, it is unlikely that the entire republican caucus would oppose this nominee — there are some who on principle vote for presidential appointments to get up-or-down votes.
The simple fact is that SOuthers hasn’t gotten his vote because Harry Reid didn’t want the embarrassment of a floor debate on him.
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