Kerik's Position Was Untenable, Bush Aide Says

New York Times ^ | 12/12/04 | ELISABETH BUMILLER and ERIC LIPTON

[wagglebee]

What pisses me off the most is that these people are more forthcoming about such easily discovered problems BEFORE the nomination is announced.

[Texas_Jarhead]

no better way to get your name out into the public

[Torie]

Mr. Kerik informed the administration that, contrary to assurances he had given the White House counsel's office before the president nominated him on Dec. 3, a nanny he had employed appeared to have been in the country illegally and that he had failed to pay taxes on her behalf

If the above is true, the guy lied. Better to find that out now, rather than later, that the guy has a character flaw (he's a liar) that renders him unfit to serve.

[End Times Sentinel]

Shouldn't the W/H had an FBI SPIN done on Kerik before his nomination was announced?  Or was that something that just fell by the wayside durring the reign of The Arkansas Love Machine?  Not good, W, not good.

Owl_Eagle

"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in.  I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"

-Hillary Clinton

(Yes, she really said that

Peggy Noonan

The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)

[kms61]

and it's not like this hasn't happened enough times before. It's not the crime of the century, but you know it's an issue for every nominee, you know whether or not you have an illegal and whether or not you've been paying her taxes, and you know you're going to be asked about it. What was he thinking?

[Mears]

The entire thing really p***** me off. Wouldn't you think someone with his connections could have made sure that he HIRED a legal person in the first place,DHS appointment or not.

I could have done a better job hiribg someone than he did and we're better off without him.

So long,Bernie,it's been just terrific!

[7.62 x 51mm]

"...a character flaw (he's a liar) that renders him unfit to serve."

That small point renders 93.78462534768% of the US Congress unfit to do anything, except dig ditches and flip burgers.

[SamAdams76]

A lot of government officials have had "nanny problems" in recent years. Maybe the real problem is that we pay our public servants too much damn money. I never had a nanny problem because I can't afford one!

[wagglebee]

Of course the $7 million or so he made by being on the board of Taser didn't hurt.

[Fatalis]

White House officials were clearly annoyed at Mr. Kerik for not determining the nanny's immigration status prior to this week, but said they had no evidence he had sought to mislead them. "It was Kerik's screw up, it was that simple," the official said. "But it's a mistake you can't tolerate with someone who has oversight for immigration."

She just came here to derail a Bush nomination that an American couldn't derail.

[JustAnAmerican]

"The nanny Mr. Kerik had employed, who has not yet been identified, left the country about two weeks ago, just prior to the announcement of his nomination, a former New York City official said on Saturday, adding that her departure had been planned for at least two months".

This says it all. It means he knew about it and tried to cover it up by having the Nanny leave just before he accepted the nomination. I don't for one minute believe his Nanny had planned to leave even before he knew of the nomination.

[Old Professer]

Isn't this the tortured path that led to Janet Reno being AG?

[Fatalis]

Four years ago, when Mr. Bush nominated Linda Chavez as labor secretary, it was discovered after the initial vetting process that she had given shelter to, and employed, an illegal immigrant. At the time, Mr. Bush's aides were outraged and promised to change their methods for reviewing potential nominees, but on Saturday several officials said that because Mr. Bush wanted to make his decisions speedily their initial review had been quick.

"We'll fix it in the second term." LOL

[Ready4Freddy]

LOL, oh the things some try to blame on Clinton.

If current noms aren't vetted by the FBI, that's W's fault, not Clinton's. Geez.....

Shouldn't the W/H had an FBI SPIN done on Kerik before his nomination was announced? Or was that something that just fell by the wayside durring the reign of The Arkansas Love Machine?

[Torie]

I cannot traduce the Bush administration too much for assuming that Kerik would not flat out lie to them. Who could have imagined that he would be that stupid and character flawed?

[Bushbacker]

The nanny thing was the tip of the iceberg...there were a lot of other things for the Democrats
to make hay with...a New York street cop cannot come out of that urban swamp squeaky clean.

[jocon307]

"It's not the crime of the century, but you know it's an issue for every nominee, you know whether or not you have an illegal and whether or not you've been paying her taxes..."

Exactamundo. We (and by we I mean they) are so two-faced on the whole subject of illegal workers. See, Kerik and others, do NOT pay remit taxes for these workers, so, of course they are cheaper to hire. Because they, and their employers are BREAKING THE LAW. Criminal activity is very often a route to obtaining things on the cheap. What galls me is that these criminal employers are at the highest level in our society, there aren't too many middle and working class folks with live-in nannys, gardeners, or chauffers.

It's not the crime of the century, of course you are right, but it is not a victimless crime either. The victims are American workers who don't have a shot at getting these jobs legally, since that would cost too much.

I'm amazed that Kerik's nanny actually LEFT the country, I can only wonder when she'll be back.

[traumer]

" a nanny he had employed.... been in the country illegally and that he had failed to pay taxes on her behalf "

This seems to be a pattern. There were several nominees (different admin.)

The rich get richer by hiring illegals for a song....

[oceanview]

the confirmation process, and the inability of our party to want to fight, means that only squeaky clean empty suits can hold positions in Republican administrations. In the meantime, the Dems can stand up to anything - Ron Brown as Commerce Sec'y, Janet Reno is AG during WACO, no pressure to ask her to resign, does anyone think anything will happen to Sandy Berger in the stolen documents incident?

But Kerik doesn't pay taxes on a nanny (unless there is more to the story), and he goes down.

[End Times Sentinel]

Not good, W, not good.

You appear to have quit reading mid post.

Are you suggesting that FBI  SPINs were conducted with cooperation from the Clintonistas?

Owl_Eagle

"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in.  I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"

-Hillary Clinton

(Yes, she really said that

Peggy Noonan

The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)