Transition: Geithner's taxes, HRC's day
Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 9:12 AM by Mark Murray
The Washington Post writes, “Timothy F. Geithner, the man tapped to lead the nation out of the greatest economic crisis in decades -- and who would oversee the Internal Revenue Service -- trekked to Capitol Hill yesterday to explain to senators how he made almost $43,000 worth of mistakes on his own tax returns… There was little evidence yesterday that Geithner's errors, which included a related disclosure about a housekeeper who worked for him briefly without proper employment documentation, would derail what has been a smooth confirmation process for Geithner.”
“But the revelations could delay consideration of Geithner's nomination. Late Tuesday, Republican Sens. Jim Bunning (Ky.) and Jon Kyl (Ariz.) blocked a request to proceed with his confirmation hearing Friday. Democratic lawmakers still hoped to confirm Geithner to the critical economic post before Inauguration Day.”
NBC’s Ken Strickland reports that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has asked the committee to hold Geithner’s hearing on Friday. But there is at least one GOP objection, which could postpone the hearing. The matter should be figured out later this morning.
Here’s the Boston Globe’s ironic headline: "Treasury pick failed to pay taxes." More from the Globe: “[T]he revelation was a stunning development and a potential blow to the portrayal of Geithner as an economic wunderkind, who is slated play a leading role in pushing through Obama's economic stimulus program, which the president-elect has made the early focus of his administration."
The Washington Post on Hillary Clinton’s testimony yesterday: “The 61-year-old former first lady and current senator from New York was warmly embraced by senators on both sides of the aisle who praised her intellect and her policymaking skills. She fielded nearly six hours of mostly polite queries, the only exceptions being a handful of questions about potential conflicts posed by former president Bill Clinton's charitable foundation.”
The Wall Street Journal adds, “Sen. Clinton's nomination is expected to be unanimously approved by the Senate Thursday. Democrats and Republicans praised the New York legislator for her work on international affairs, both in the White House and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Republican senators stressed, however, that Sen. Clinton's confirmation would be contingent upon a strict accounting procedure being implemented to track former President Bill Clinton's foundation activities and to guard against conflicts of interest with his wife's work. ‘The core of the problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the secretary of state,’ said Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations panel.”
During Clinton's five hours of testimony, "her statements marked a drastic departure from the Bush administration's broad skepticism toward treaties, and were greeted enthusiastically by Democrats and many Republicans on the committee, as well as by specialists on arms control and the environment."
"Hillary Clinton never got her coronation as President, but her confirmation hearing to be Barack Obama's secretary of state on Tuesday came mighty close," the New York Daily News writes.
The New York Post: "Senators treated colleague Hillary Rodham Clinton with kid gloves yesterday.”
Here’s our confirmation calendar:
-- Wednesday, 10:00 am ET: VA: Gen. Eric Shinseki (Veterans' Affairs Committee)
-- Wednesday, 10:00 am ET: Agriculture: Former Gov. Tom Vilsack (Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee)
-- Wednesday, 2:00 pm ET: OMB Director: Peter Orszag (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee)
-- Wednesday, 10:00 am: EPA: Lisa Jackson (Nancy Sutley to be chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality) (Environment and Public Works Committee)
-- Thursday: Interior: Sen. Ken Salazar (Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
-- Thursday: Attorney General: Eric Holder (Judiciary Committee)
-- Thursday, 10:00 am ET: Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee)
-- Thursday, 9:30 am: UN Ambassador: Susan Rice (Foreign Relations)
"Julius Genachowski, a friend of Obama's from their days at Harvard Law School and a top fund-raiser for his presidential campaign, would bring a corporate technology background and inside-the-Beltway experience to the FCC."
The Boston Globe's Peter Canellos takes a stand against Sanjay Gupta as surgeon general. "The problem - as a small but growing chorus of critics points out - is that the surgeon general isn't merely a communicator, but a policy maker who is supposed to be an independent voice on medical matters." Did you know: "Gupta also has some political experience, having written speeches for Hillary Clinton during her failed attempt to remake the health system in 1993."
The Washington Post notes how Obama’s pick to head the Transportation Department, GOPer Ray LaHood “has been an unapologetic advocate of earmarks, a practice Obama now opposes, and has used his influence to win funding for projects pushed by some of his largest campaign contributors.” More: “LaHood has defended his use of earmarks as a way to direct federal money to decaying communities in his district and insisted there is no connection between his earmarks and projects benefiting campaign donors.”
