Tom Daschle Tax Cheat

Barack Obama sure knows how to pick 'em.

Another cabinet pick has tax trouble.

It looks like Tom Daschle is an even bigger tax cheat than Tim Geithner.

And as usual, the damaging information is dumped very late on Friday afternoon.

From the New York Times:
President Obama’s pick for secretary of health and human services, Tom Daschle, failed to pay more than $140,000 in taxes, mostly for free use of a car and driver that had been provided to him by a prominent businessman and Democratic fund-raiser, administration officials said on Friday.

Mr. Daschle, concluding that he owed the taxes, filed amended returns and paid more than $100,000 in back taxes and interest on Jan. 2, the officials said.

Daschle is a crook.

There's no way this tax cheat would have paid these back taxes if Obama hadn't picked him to be a part of his cabinet.
The car and driver were provided by Leo Hindery Jr., a media and telecommunications executive who had been chairman of YES, the New York Yankees regional sports network. In 2005, Mr. Hindery founded a private equity firm known as InterMedia Advisors. Mr. Daschle was chairman of InterMedia’s advisory board.

In a financial disclosure statement filed this month with the Office of Government Ethics, Mr. Daschle reported that he had received large amounts of income from InterMedia, including more than $2 million in consulting fees and $182,520 in the form of “company-provided transportation.”

The belated tax payments help explain delays in the confirmation of Mr. Daschle, a former Senate Democratic leader who had been expected to win swift approval.

Despite the embarrassing admission — the second for one of President Obama’s cabinet choices — the White House and Democratic senators quickly released statements on Friday evening in Mr. Daschle’s support.

I love how the Times refers to Daschle's lawbreaking as an "embarrassing admission."

The guy is corrupt.

And Obama and Dem senators willing to support Daschle are just as slimy.

"New era of responsibility" keeps echoing in my head. What an absolute crock!
...An administration official said Mr. Daschle had paid $32,090 in back taxes and interest for 2005, $38,507 for 2006 and $69,570 for 2007.

The official said Mr. Daschle’s failure to pay the taxes was “a stupid mistake.”

We should not have to tolerate all these "stupid mistakes." These crooks are not fit to serve. Period.
A Senate aide said Mr. Daschle also had a tax issue that involved charitable contributions.

This is shocking. A Democrat involved in making charitable contributions is almost unheard of.
Administration officials said Mr. Daschle should not be penalized because he had discovered the tax liability himself, paid up and brought it to the attention of the Finance Committee, which is vetting his nomination. They said he realized in June 2008 that he might have a tax problem.

If that's the stand that administration officials are taking, then I think they are complicit in Daschle's corruption.
...The White House and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, affirmed their support for Mr. Daschle on Friday.

James P. Manley, a spokesman for Mr. Reid, said: “Senator Daschle will be confirmed as secretary of health and human services. He has a long and distinguished career in public service and is the best person to help reform health care in this country.”

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, used almost identical words, predicting that Mr. Daschle “will be confirmed.”

Sure, tax cheat Daschle will be confirmed. Even though he has other issues, some related to lobbying, Daschle will be confirmed.

The Democrats can do whatever they want. They can be as corrupt as they want to be.
...Mr. Obama has named Mr. Daschle to a second position, as director of a new White House Office of Health Reform. That job is not subject to Senate confirmation.

Obama has found a way to guarantee that Daschle will be at his side. Slick.

So just what is the change that Obama is bringing to Washington?

Here's a change: Obama has broken his promise about lobbyists working for him. He's changed his position on that.

This is also new: Obama and his comrades are excusing lawbreaking and setting a new standard -- Pay your taxes when you're nominated for a cabinet position. You can hold off until then. No problem.
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