Bush Makes Recess Appointment to SEC

AP ^ | January 22, 2002, 7:37 PM EST

[Jean S]

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday used his recess appointment power to put an official from a major accounting firm on the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is investigating the auditing work done for troubled energy trader Enron Corp.

Bush appointed Cynthia A. Glassman, a principal at the Big Five accounting firm Ernst & Young. She worked at the Federal Reserve Board from 1977 to 1986 as economist and senior economist and in other positions.

The accounting profession has come under heightened public scrutiny as a result of the collapse of Enron, and the SEC is investigating the auditing work done for the company by major accountant Arthur Andersen LLP.

Glassman, a Republican, has worked for Ernst & Young since 1997. She was director of commercial bank risk management from 1997 to 1999, and before that had been director of research and managing director at Furash & Co.

Glassman served with the board of governors of the Federal Reserve from 1977 to 1986. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

He also reappointed Isaac C. Hunt Jr., a Democrat appointed to the SEC by former President Clinton in 1996. Hunt's term recently expired. A graduate of the University of Virginia law school, Hunt was dean of Antioch School of Law in Washington from 1987 to 1995.

Bush made the appointments just a day before the opening of the second session of the 107th Congress. Because Bush exercised his authority while Congress was out of session, his appointees will be allowed to serve until Congress recesses again at the end of the year.

In other recess appointments Tuesday, Bush named:

_Deborah Matz and JoAnn Johnson to the board of the National Credit Union Administration.

_William B. Cowen and Michael J. Bartlett to the National Labor Relations Board.

[Askel5]

They tried it a couple of weeks ago, remember

THAT's what I missed. I guess I find their silence somewhat eerie.

I've never known them to be chagrined at being outed as hypocrites before.

Where are the feminists who stood up for Clinton during impeachment, for example ... =)

[MamaLucci]

Here's another good article re: Beck

New NRLB appts. desperately needed
Bush's Union-Dues Executive Order Just Small First Step

[Salvation]

AT WORK!

[Gamma-131-I]

I suppose Bush could have chosen an Independent...

Now why do I get a strange image of Mary Francis Berry in my head when I read this??? ;-)

[Deb]

These appointments are nothing like the Clinton appointments since Daschle delared that even though these people were voted out of committee, the Democrats would filibuster everyone of them, requiring 60 votes instead of the usual majority.

It's war. They declared it and they'll lose it.

[Lion's Cub]

Indexing

[mmmmmmmm....... donuts]

I know Clinton pulled the same stunt. But to make a recess appointment one day before Congress gets back in town is just flouting the spirit of the law. Maybe it's legal, but it's still disconcerting.

[Chemist_Geek]

They tried it a couple of weeks ago, remember, and not only did they get no traction, but they were called on their hypocrisy.

No, actually, I don't remember. I do so love it when they get hoisted on their own petard, so to speak. Do you have any links handy? Thanks!

[MamaLucci]

I know Clinton pulled the same stunt.

No, he DIDN'T...what he pulled was unconstitutional.

From Vineyard's post # 57 above

Clinton appointed Bill Lan Lee, who was turned down in the Committee hearings. Bill Lan Lee was found unfit, since it became apparent that he would enforce his own version of the law as he saw fit, not as the Courts had declared.
So Bill Clinton then gave the guy a recess appointment, and then made the guy "acting", and thus usurped ALL Constitutional provisions.
Bush gave recess appointments to a few key people that Senate Democrats refused to even allow hearings to proceed.

[Clemenza]

Ms. Glassman has a wonderful reputation at E&Y. My congratulations.

[peekaboo]

Scalia did get a hearing, months ago and was finally voted out of committee to go to the senate for confirmation. Daschle then said Scalia would need 60 votes to be confirmed. Reich, on the other hand was never given a hearing, even though, Colin Powell has requested before hte committee, run by Dodd, that he wanted Reich and needed him badly to assist in the foreign missions he is so desparately working on.Dodd claims that Reich's nomination would never be brought to the committee.

I am glad to see Bush nominate both of these people. I saw the Scalia hearings, which went much like the Ashcroft hearings. Scalia is the most qualified attorneys ever to be nominated to the Labor Department. Kennedy and Leahy were the two in strongest opposition. I don't know which democrat finally voted with the republicans, on Scalia's nomination. His appointment has been held up for months and Daschle knew the votes were there for his confirmation, that is why he refused to allow the vote to take place. There were a number of democrats who would have voted for him.

[1Old Pro]

The second thing to say is that even if the President is successful in appealing this latest ruling, it won't mean beans unless he first puts into place a National Labor Relations Board that is committed to enforcing workers' Beck rights. This is the perfect opportunity for Mr. Bush to use his recess appointment power to fill the three open seats on the NLRB.

Are these two (Cohen & Bartlett) committed to enforcing Beck? Your comments suggest that they are but their names are unfamiliar to me.

[MamaLucci]

Your comments suggest that they are but their names are unfamiliar to me.

I haven't been able to find any info on Bartlett, and haven't looked yet for any on Cohen.
I am betting that they will vigorously enforce Beck based on previous comments by President Bush
that it is HIS intention to do so.

[mmmmmmmm....... donuts]

and why did you object to bill lann lee's nomination? because it was done without congress's consent. seems to me, that's what bush is doing.

[aristeides]

Hunt is indeed black.

SEC site only has pictures of three commissioners, without Ms. Glassman up yet, who would make four. Aren't there supposed to be five SEC commissioners?

[aristeides]

William B. Cowen and Michael J. Bartlett to the National Labor Relations Board

FYI.

[Iowa Granny]

You can read about JoAnn Johnson here: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Senate/Members/JoAnn-Johnson.html

[Lancey Howard]

Aren't there supposed to be five SEC commissioners?

I believe it is six, with no political party having more than three. I am not positive about this, though.

[Redbob]

"Unfortunately, the President can only use his recess appointment power if the vacancy occurs WHILE CONGRESS IS OUT OF SESSION."

Wrong again.
Perhaps you should have brought up this point when Slick Willie was making all HIS recess appointments, hmmmm?

[Redbob]

"Maybe it's legal, but it's still disconcerting."

That's why we write our laws down, so we don't have to debate what's in the "spirit" of the law.
We just go by the words.