If I were Timothy Geithner, I would step aside even if I were to be confirmed by the Senate. Should he?
Not even George Bush's nominee for Homeland Bernard Kerik decided to stay, who had exactly the same problems as Geithner's: back tax and hiring of an illegal immigrant. Another Bush's nominee, Linda Chavez as Labor secretary, went through a similar controversial cycle but eventually withdrew, 11 days before the inauguration, add to that father Bush's John Tower as Defense secretary in 1989.
Clinton's Attorney General nominee Zoe Baird in 1993, who had hired illegal immigrants for household help, was a distraction during inauguration.
Even in the aftermath of the revelation of Obama's Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner--who had a housekeeper working with expired immigration authorization and had back taxes for self-employment---may be confirmed by the Senate, but would it be ethical to pursue the course?
Note: TPM writes, "He ended up paying the bills, with interest, at a cost of $43,200. About $26,000 of that total was paid to settle tax bills from 2001 and 2002 after Geithner was nominated by Barack Obama last month."