Daschle Knew of Tax Issues Last June, Raising Questions on Obama Vetting Process, Ethics

In most administration, Tom Daschle would have been politely asked to withdraw his name from consideration as a cabinet secretary by now.

He is caught in a web of lies and deciet and money and taxes.  But the current Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner emerged from that same kind of morass, one of his own making but not as blatant or large as Daschle’s, because he was just too an important a man in these tough global economic times.

Talent trumps ethics in this White House.

The president’s pick for health secretary, Tom Daschle, failed to pay $128,000 in taxes. Photo: Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

The New York Times reported today that President Obama’s choice for health secretary, Tom Daschle, was aware as early as last June that he might have to pay back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a private equity firm, but did not inform the Obama transition team until weeks after Mr. Obama named him to the health secretary’s post, senior administration officials said Saturday.

As Senate Democrats rushed to save the nomination of Mr. Daschle, their former leader, the White House spent the day trying to explain how he survived its vetting process despite his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes.

Now we have two scandels or maybe more.

How did Daschle get past the rigorous Team Obama vetting process?

Why has Daschle been allowed to continue as HHS Secretary wannabe?

And what about Mr. Geithner?

Robert Gibbs, the Obama press spokesman said, “The president believes that nobody is perfect.”

Is this the too hard for Turbotax White House?

Apparently not in this administration because the vetting process cannot find the most obvious, egregious forms of law breaking.

And that raises the issue of Bill Richardson, the preisent’s first nominee for Commerce Secretary.  He pulled his name out even though he has not been charged with any crime…

Related:
 Geithner, Daschle Remind Us, Taxes Too Hard for Democrats; How Can They Create a Workable Stimulus?

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/u
s/politics/01daschle.html?_r=1&hp

Related:
 Obama’s HHS Secretary Nominee Daschle Faces Tax Questions

Michelle Malkin:
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/31/what
-will-the-bend-over-republicans-do-with-ta
x-cheat-tom-daschle/

 Bill Richardson Exits Obama Cabinet Under The Cloud of Possible Corruption

Bill Richardson pulled his name from consideration as Obama’s Commerce Secretary and may stand as the most ethical of the Obama nominees.  Unless the grand jury says otherwise….