Saturday, January 31, 2009

NYT reports Daschle knew of tax problems last June but didn't tell Obama team of faulty memory

The New York Times reports tonight that Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle knew as long ago as June that he had tax problems with a driver he hired and car provided to drive him around.

This service -- for which he owed $128,000 in taxes -- was provided by a private equity firm. Translated, that means a Wall Street fatcat -- part of an industry that already has received $350 billion in taxpayer money thanks to Democratic leaders including then Sen. Barack Obama.

“It’s totally shocking,” an aide to a Democratic senator said Saturday to The Times. “Why do we have to continue to have the same story over and over again with these nominees?”

Daschle, a nice guy, should be rejected by the Senate as HHS secretary. Americans are required to pay taxes by law. Those who forget about the law should not be put in charge of it.

The Times said the Obama campaign was not informed last June of the problem.

Democrats know that they approve this nomination at great political risk. The American people are not fooled.

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