Kerik's nanny issue his latest blemish

[leftchick]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2943067

<snip>

WASHINGTON - President Bush readily accepted Bernard Kerik's decision to withdraw his nomination as homeland security secretary after the White House concluded that it would be untenable for him to supervise the nation's immigration laws if he had had immigration problems in his own household, a White House official said Saturday.


Kerik informed the administration late Friday that there were tax and immigration problems related to a former nanny and housekeeper he had employed. In a statement issued late Friday, the former New York City police commissioner said he had determined that the housekeeper was not clearly a legal immigrant and that he had not properly paid taxes on her behalf.

The housekeeper situation was the nominee's latest blemish to be revealed. A series of critical news reports about questionable actions had begun to surface about Kerik, threatening to turn his Senate confirmation into an embarrassment for the administration. The reports had looked at Kerik's use of city personnel while in office, potential conflicts between his business life and the role of the Homeland Security Department, and events growing out of his personal financial difficulties several years ago.

According to the Los Angeles Times, those on the short list to replace Kerik include Asa Hutchinson, an assistant secretary of homeland security; Sean O'Keefe, head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Joe Allbaugh, a close Bush associate and former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and Fran Townsend, homeland security coordinator in the White House. O'Keefe also is a candidate to become chancellor of Louisiana State University.

[Gin]

1. Good riddance.....also heard the name of Joe Lieberman as a possible

nominee.

[anarchy1999]

2. It is going to be Allbaugh. Just hide and watch.............

n/t

(scariest of them all)

Could be Asa though, and he is just as frightening.

[sattahipdeep]

3. Joe "unlicensed embalmers" Allbaugh

So why in the world did Allbaugh resign?  Here's where it
starts to get interesting, tangled, and quite disturbing. 
Judge for yourself and I will reserve my comments until the
end.  The Austin Chronicle broke new ground about
Bush's involvement in an influence-buying scandal regarding
SCI, Service Corporation International, the world's
largest cemetery company based in Houston.  Reporter Robert
Bryce said, "Bush got $35,000 in contributions
from SCI.  It appears Bush then helped them thwart an
investigation by the Texas Funeral Commission.  The
former director of the Commission, Eliza May, was pressured by
Bush's Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager
Joe Allbaugh.  She has filed a whistle-blower lawsuit."  
May said she was fired after resisting pressure from the
governor's staff to end her investigation, which resulted in a
$445,000 fine against the company for a range of
offences including using unlicensed embalmers.

Bush was subpoenaed in 1999, but refused to testify as to what
his involvement was in halting an investigation
into SCI's embalming practices, among other things.  A Texas
judge put everything right for Bush just in time to
campaign for the presidency, ruling that he could not be
forced to testify by an ousted regulatory official, who had
not produced enough evidence or that Bush had "unique and
superior personal knowledge."  Bush had filed an
affidavit claiming he had no conversations with SCI officials,
agents, or representatives concerning the
investigation or any disputes arising from it, although by his
own admission he said he dropped in on a meeting
between Waltrip and Allbaugh, for a quick social visit and
couldn't remember what he said.  May's lawsuit
claimed they did talk about the investigation and asked the
judge to hold Bush in contempt of court and compel
him to testify.  In a news conference (held in August, '99)
dominated by tough questions, the issue that really
irritated Bush concerned funeral homes.  His remarks were, 
"It's frivolous.  It is frivolous."

http://www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_louise_122302_allbaugh.html

[sattahipdeep]

4. Embalming for Dollars

Led by Governor Bush, the Funeralgate cast
includes Sen. John Whitmire, SCI CEO Robert
Waltrip (in hat), Bush aide Joe Allbaugh, Rep.
Kyle Janek, Sen. Kenneth Armbrister, and
Attorney General John Cornyn.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue45/pols.sci.html

Funeralgate Hits Texas

[underpants]

5. ABC:WH secrecy makes them announce before background check is done

on WNT last night

[BlueManDude]

6. Kerik is Tony Soprano with good P.R.

The least of his problems was his nanny. This guy is corrupt to the gills. I don't know why I shoudl be surprised but Bush continues to amaze me. You would have thought they would have looked a little harder for a Homeland Sec chief.

[johnfunk]

7. He's more like a certain character being propped up by his sponsors...