Officials and media call for withdrawal of Daschle nomination

In the aftermath of the contested nomination of Timothy Geithner, public officials and media outlets are calling from a withdrawal of the tax-troubled Tom Daschle's nomination to Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Daschle recently admitted to neglecting to pay nearly $140,000 in back taxes and interests relating to gifts and unreported consulting earnings. Senate Democrats have asserted that his payment of these taxes is enough, but there is growing uncertainty and concern among Republicans.

Today, Senator DeMint [R - SC] publically requested that President Obama withdraw the nomination. He cited concerns for the Daschle's integrity, as well as the precedent for a double standard. "The average American would likely face criminal charges with tax evasion of this size," he said.

Others have raised concerns over Daschle's income sources, which include revenue from large medical companies. Many believe this may lead to a conflict of interest in his propsed position.

White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, assured America yesterday that "The President believes Senator Daschle is the right person for the very important job" of reforming the health care system.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Rate It:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5