Another Obama nominee with a tax problem:
Nancy Killefer, who failed for a year and a half to pay employment taxes on household help, has withdrawn her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government, the White House said Tuesday.
Killefer was the second major Obama administration nominee to withdraw and the third to have tax problems complicate their nomination after President Barack Obama announced their selection.
"Nancy Killefer has decided to withdraw her nomination, and we accepted her withdrawal," Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said Tuesday. The 55-year-old executive with consulting giant McKinsey & Co., was expected to explain her reasons for pulling out later in the day.
Link
I know this has been a problem in past nominees for other presidents. But Obama message of change and promise of a new era in Washington is beginning to lose some of it luster. I'm as big of an Obama supporter as you'll find. But I'm beginning to think that if he doesn't stand up to these improprieties he'll lose the high ground against republicans.
Even my mom who barely pays attention to politics asked me yesterday "Please tell me Daschle not a Democrat!" It's getting embarassing. I've defended Dashle to those in my local Obama group who thought he was worthless. But any hope that he'd lead us out of this health care crisis is beginning to fade and his prescence as a nominee is tarnishing Obama.
Tom Daschle backed the patron who paid him a million-dollar salary and supplied him with a free car and driver for a job inside the Obama administration, two Democrats said Monday.
Leo Hindery, whose InterMedia Partners employed the former Senate majority leader, had been mentioned as a possible secretary of commerce or U.S. trade representative.
Udall is expressing doubt about Daschle too:
Udall: There's an issue regarding the use of a jet involving a charity that he was on the board.
It was raised as an issue. Was this a legitimate, charitable purpose.
I believe Sen. Daschle travelled down to the Bahamas to speak to the board.. And he was on the board of the charity.
I think there were several trips. I think there was a trip to Europe and a trip to the Bahamas....
Bill Press: Not a definite yes vote?
Udall: That's correct.
Politico
I certainly never expected the administration to be perfect. Politicians don't have that capability. But it's important given all that Obama has to accomplish in this first year that the tarnish of unethical behavior become the story in the first month in office. Perhaps Daschle withdrawing would make things worse as the media would smell blood in the water. What do you think?