TSA nominee misled Congress about accessing confidential records

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

Source: Washington Post

The White House nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration gave Congress misleading information about incidents in which he inappropriately accessed a federal database, possibly in violation of privacy laws, documents obtained by The Washington Post show.

The disclosure comes as pressure builds from Democrats on Capitol Hill for quick January confirmation of Erroll Southers, whose nomination has been held up by GOP opponents. In the aftermath of an attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day, calls have intensified for lawmakers to install permanent leadership at the TSA, a critical agency in enforcing airline security.

Southers, a former FBI agent, has described inconsistencies in his accounts to Congress as "inadvertent" and the result of poor memory of an incident that dates back 20 years. He said in a Nov. 20 letter to key senators obtained by The Post that he had accepted full responsibility long ago for a "grave error in judgment" in accessing confidential criminal records about his then-estranged wife's new boyfriend.

His letter to Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate homeland security committee, and Susan Collins (Maine), the ranking Republican on the panel, attempts to correct statements about the episode that were made in a sworn affidavit on Oct. 22 and have been reported.

- SNIP -

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123102257.html?hpid=topnews

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Well that's not good

Yuck.

[quiller4]

8. It was a minor infraction more than 20 years ago and it isn't the

reson for the hold-up. His supervisors all recommend him.

[24601]

12. Originally yes - but thea a Major infraction was lying to the Senate

just recently about the curcumstances.

Flush this turd and get something cleaner!

[babylonsister]

2. 20 years ago? Someone is digging really deep. ugh. nt

[Captain Hilts]

3. I agree. nt

[Snotcicles]

7. Yeah, DeMint. nt

[dmr]

22. Yes, and why?

I know the excuse is possible unionization, but what is it about this particular appointment that has the GOP looking for any reason to halt its confirmation? If one excuse doesn't work, they find another.

As the saying goes, 'Follow the money'. Does the GOP have friends they want to privatize to do the job?

Personally, the TSAs should be unionized.

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

4. White House Defends Erroll Southers, TSA Nominee

HONOLULU -- President Barack Obama's pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration has provided Congress inconsistent reports about -- and regrets for -- running background checks on his then-estranged wife's boyfriend two decades ago.

Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent whose nomination has been delayed by Republicans for unrelated concerns, wrote to senators in November to correct what he called a distortion of his record.

"I am distressed by the inconsistencies between my recollection and the contemporaneous documents, but I assure you that the mistake was inadvertent, and that I have at all times taken full responsibility for what I know to have been a grave error in judgment," he wrote in a letter to Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine.

"This incident was over 20 years ago, I was distraught and concerned about my young son, and never in my career since has there been any recurrence of this sort of conduct."

In an October affidavit for the Senate committee, he initially said he asked a San Diego police employee to run a background check on his then-estranged wife's boyfriend and was censured by his FBI superiors 20 years ago for what he said was an isolated instance.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/31/white-house-defends-errol_n_408826.html

[babylonsister]

5. The WH defended the person they nominated? Are you surprised? nt

[No Elephants]

18. The surprise is that they nominated this guy to begin with.

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

19. Indeed, it is.

:headbang:

[katkat]

10. If I thought my kid

was under the control of possibly some freak, I'd run the hell out of background checks, legal or not.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. Go ahead and break the law. Just don't cry about it when it costs you a high level government job.

[No Elephants]

17. Perjuring himself wasabout protecting himslef, not his kid. Please see Reply # 15,

[Snotcicles]

6. Delete nt

[Downwinder]

9. Move along. Nothing there. Just another lying cop. n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Yep. What do you expect from cops. Perjury, testilying, abuse of power etc. etc.

Harassing an ex. Par for the course.

I have a customer right now who has a cop ex husband making her life a living hell. (He stole her escrow refund money from a court ordered refinance transaction from a home loan he hadn't made payments to for over four years. He called the lender after we closed and changed the address to his own so her refund would be sent to his address. He did it so his wife wouldn't have Christmas money (his words) and would have to spend money to take him to court).

[No Elephants]

16. This is not just another lying cop, anymore than Kerik was when Dummya was considering Kerik to head

Homeland Security, based on the glowing recommendation of former Mayor Noun Verb 911.

[pattmarty]

11. This doesn't sound good. "Accessing confidential criminal records.....

.........about his then-estranged wife's new boyfriend" sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing. Does jealous ex husband sound familiar? Anyone who has gone thru a divorce knows that this could very well be true and he covered it up.

[No Elephants]

15. Can't we find someone who never abused intelligence or perjured himself to Congress?

I can see accessing the info if he truly felt his child was in danger. I'd do the same. But lying to Congress was about protecting himself, not his child.

Yes, it was 20 years ago. On the other hand, thousands of people have never perjured themselves before Congress or in any court or anywhere and would never consider doing so, even if they had to face some consequences. I've done stuff I'm not proud of, but I've always taken my lumps.

On edit: I tried to follow the link before posting, but it apparently requires a subscription and I am not about to put any of my $ in WAPO's coffers if I can possibly help it.

[timo]

20. why should congress care

They lie to us at the drop of a hat, and expect us to be cool with it!!!!!!!!!

[denbot]

21. Washington Post..

I can't believe World News Daily missed this.

[mstinamotorcity]

23. Twenty Years ago

Lets see.... what was i doing twenty years ago today.uh..uh..ahh s--t,i can't remember.Yes,he was trying to protect himself,first rule self preservation.Personally i think he should have just point blank said that he used his authority to do a background check on his ex wife's new squeeze.and tell them why. And if he got confirmed then so be it,if not then so be it.Because there is not one person on this earth who has not changed in some way,shape,form or fashion,or line of thinking in twenty years.Get Real.Hell people have done less time for murder.