POLITICS: Bernard Kerik Withdraws from DHS Post

Despite his recent nomination as DHS Chief, Bernard Kerik has reportedly resigned already. This is an unexpected announcement on Capitol hill where it was all but presumed Kerik would take the post. With an impressive background and reputation in law enforcement and strong ties to New York, this presents an unprecedented situation as our DHS is a new agency within the Administration.



What does this mean? Wasn't he the administrations first pick? Is the administration bowing to internal or external pressure? Kerick was touted as a prime pick, albiet controversial and with some 'conflict of interests' with his investments in some law enforcment industries. Is his replacement going to be better or someone we all know but coming out of the blue unexpected? Wouldn't it be a surprise if it were Colin Powell?

[edit on 21-12-2004 by Banshee]

Washington stunned by Friday night release of Bernard Kerik from consideration of homeland security secretary... Reports claim Kerik withdrew due to 'Nanny Problem'.. possibly had an illegal alien baby-sitting his kids and failed to properly report her taxable income... MORE...

Drudge report cites this for a possible reason of his withdrawl. It would lead conspiracy theories to rest. I was thinking that with all the cabinet-level resignations that maybe someone is trying to mold Bush's administration from behind the scenes...But maybe it's just bi-partisan warfare that people's personal reasons...? I don't know.

Well, I found one thing that could be a reason,



Taser International was formerly known as Air Taser, yet I can not get onto one of their sites pages.(Air-Taser) airtaser.com

Well it thickens, but do not know if any soup can be made out of it just yet,



Forbes Company Info


Well as of right now, I only see him being guilty of having Money. His sales of his stock may have been because he was told early on he was getting the Nod, and was cutting ties with Taser. Unless something drastic comes up, I do not see how any of this would lead to his decision to leave.


Will update with more when I find it....











[edit on 10-12-2004 by TrickmastertricK]

He also father a child when he was a 19-year-old military policeman in December 1974, when he was stationed in Korea. He abandoned both the mother and the child when his tour ended. I don't know if that had anything to do with it.

Korea Times

Lucrid Investments in Interests with conflict, Illegal nanny, and abandoned his 'korean?' partner and daughter???????? It's sounding more and more like a good thing he isn't the DHS Chief... Maybe he'd be to busy foolin' around and making money on the side to actually attend staff meetings...then again isn't NY famous for corruption, especially Cops? So...I guess we wait and see who's next. Will they choose a 'nicer' candidate or an even worse one to shove it in the face of whoever put the pressure on not selecting Kerik.

He's probably not a devout Bush follower and does not want to be part of the coming whatever it is....

Maybe he thought about it and thought thanks but no thanks. I doubt if skeletons in the closet had anything to do with it.

This is a damned shame. This man is highly qualified and to be disqualified on the basis of a nanny and a thirty year old bastard child half a world away is not in the best interest of the nation.

If Rudy Giuliani wasn't making so much money already, he'd be a great nominee, but I don't think he's interested in the public sector at this time.

[edit on 04/12/10 by GradyPhilpott]

However, I do recall that a Democratic nominee for some post or another was beat up over the nanny issue aka Nannygate and had to pull out. I give him credit for protecting his family from that level of scrutiny by the media and public. The other issue is while certainly not as high of a target for terrorists as say the president or VP, but it would be a much softer symbolic target. Not to mention that the Secret Service cannot provide presidential level protection to every cabinet member.

[edit on 12/10/04 by FredT]

I think it was his shady business practices more than anything in his personal life.

I think it was Linda Chavez who got into trouble over the housekeeper and I sincerely doubt this guy is concerned about his personal safety.

Past immigration problems

The immigration status of household help employed by prospective high-level government officials has been an issue for the past decade, starting with Zoe Baird, President Bill Clinton's first pick for attorney general.
Baird was forced to withdraw in 1993 after admitting she employed two undocumented workers and did not pay required employee taxes for them.

Clinton's second nominee for the same post, Kimba Wood, withdrew when similar nanny problems came to light.

Bush's first nominee for labor secretary in 2001, Linda Chavez, withdrew her nomination after disclosing that an illegal immigrant had lived in her house in the 1990s and performed household chores.

CNN

It's shame that someone like Kerik (and these other nominees) has to withdraw over an issue like this. We have various Congressman and Senators indicted, some convicted, who manage to keep their jobs or stay on the payroll, yet having an undocumented nanny is a career killer.

Do as they say not as they do.
B

I think it will be the stun-gun connection that will turn out to be the reason. Even though the WH said that if he severed all ties, they would accept that there was no conflict of interest.

There was also something in the news recently about a missing $1M in some deal he was involved with as a corrections officer. Cigarettes for inmates or some such. I'll try to find it.

Too bad, he was the right guy for the job, IMO.

why does America waste time passing laws?

Are laws just smoke and mirrors in America?

The guy (Kerik) needs to be prosecuted. No college when it is a requirement, illegal tax evasion, yet one more immigration problem, conflict of interests, abandons woman and child (the only bastard is the father), what else was this super-hero hiding?

Giuliani as replacement? Everyone hated this guy until 9-11. It takes a disaster to make someone acceptable?

'Only in America'

All these guys are thugs. They all get what is coming to them, Insha'Allah.

Originally posted by JoeDoaks
The guy (Kerik) needs to be prosecuted. No college when it is a requirement, illegal tax evasion, yet one more immigration problem, conflict of interests, abandons woman and child (the only bastard is the father)

Hey, this is America. Fathering a child out of wedlock is no big deal anymore. Look at all the pro athletes, politicians, civil rights leaders, celebrities, that do it.

And what do you mean, "No college when it is a requirement"?

what else was this super-hero hiding?

I think he tore up a parking ticket once.

Giuliani as replacement? Everyone hated this guy until 9-11. It takes a disaster to make someone acceptable?

Everybody that was a criminal, that is.

During his term in office, he cut crime in the city by more than half. He improved the public school system, beat organized crime within an inch of its life, and attacked white-collar crime as well as corruption in government. In addition, he cut the welfare roll and got people back into the workforce, adding to the city's prosperity rather than detracting from it.

www.askmen.com...

Bernie was a good man for the job. We don't need no more sensitive girlie men in top cop jobs.

Maybe the guy is perfectly up to the job, but that makes his resignation even more strange?????

I think the reason could be something that is not officially in the news yet and it might be better it stays that way....

The Washington Post reports that Kerik's track record on issues of national security is "spotty." Appointed by President Bush to train a new Iraqi police force in 2003, "Kerik came under criticism for inadequate screening of recruits as U.S. authorities rushed to deploy the force. It has been plagued by desertions and by allegations that insurgents have infiltrated the ranks." Worse, Kerik "quit four months into his six-month tenure in Iraq, telling New York reporters later that he needed a vacation."

A prominent Republican member of the Sept. 11 commission, former Navy secretary John F. Lehman, sharply criticized Kerik "for failures of leadership during the terrorist attacks" of 9/11. Lehman said that Kerik allowed turf battles with the Fire Department to "hamper rescue efforts" and called Kerik's leadership at the time "not worthy of the Boy Scouts."

As police commissioner of NYC, Kerik used city police officers � who could have been protecting the people of New York � to help him write a book he would sell for personal profit. The Washington Post reports that the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board fined Kerik $2,500 for "sending two police officers to Ohio to help research his best-selling 2001 memoir, 'The Lost Son.'"

Kerik has made $6.2 million dollars in profits from his relationship "with Taser International, a Scottsdale, Ariz., manufacturer of stun guns." Kerik was appointed as a director of the company immediately after he had the NYPD purchase the guns as police chief. Since 2002, Kerik has hawked Taser's products to police departments around the country. Recently the company has made an "aggressive push to enter markets either regulated or controlled by the federal government, most notably the Department of Homeland Security." Thomas Smith, the company president, said the company would "continue to go after that business" at the Department of Homeland Security should Kerik be confirmed.

Failing to follow proper bidding procedures, Kerik spent $50,000 on four security doors for the NYC police headquarters. The doors were all too heavy for the floors of the police headquarters and three are now in storage. Shortly after leaving his post as commissioner, "Kerik became an adviser to a company distributing the doors." He later renounced the post after "the door-maker's president was indicted for defrauding the city."

In April, the Washington Post reported that Kerik opened a high-priced consulting firm to sell his New York City police credentials to wealthy corporate bidders. The firm was promptly hired by the pharmaceutical industry's chief lobbying group to build opposition to letting American seniors purchase lower-priced, FDA-approved medicines from Canada. Without any evidence, Kerik claimed reimportation could "invite terrorists to launch a biological attack under the guise of a legal purchase."

Newsweek reports that in 1999, Kerik "was named in a civil lawsuit as the architect of a system to force prison guards to work for Republicans in their off-hours." The suit, brought by a warden, claimed that Kerik would "hunt down" anyone deemed "disloyal." The suit was settled, with the warden winning $300,000 and a promotion, while Kerik's prot�g� was indicted in connection the scandal.

IMHO, any one of these would be reason enough for him to withdraw his name from contention, certainly more so than would another "Nannygate."

Originally posted by sandge
IMHO, any one of these would be reason enough for him to withdraw his name from contention, certainly more so than would another "Nannygate."

All excellent points. I just saw an interview with him standing in front of his New Jersey mansion and even he basically said the nanny thing was pretty much just the icing on the cake. He already had serious "tax concerns" he'd been debating for a week.

The nanny thing is just the most palatable of his transgressions being spoon fed to us. He's avoiding a full blown investigation and background check that would likely wind up with him in jail.

I smell tax cheat big time.

I love the smell of white collar crime in the moring. Let's nominate that death whore GOULiana now. I'd love to see that shill investigated.

Actually is not surprised about these Gentleman's background, he does have lost of issues in his career that need explanation and perhaps he was not up to the tedious job of excusing his actions and that is why he just decided to quit.

These thread has some good issues on this man "controversial issues"


www.abovetopsecret.com...


Or perhap he found out about Bush world domination agenda and he does not want any part of it.

Why does it not suprise me that a person in such high position of law enforcement, and nearly such a high federal position, would have been engaged in illegal activities.

I don't know whether or not to commend Keric for his candor at this point. If he really cared, he might not have been breaking the law in the first place. Perhaps there is a better reason for him to renounce his nomination.

If there's anything good about this, it may be that it would set a precedent and impetus to examine more closely other higher ups in federal and local law enforcement. I bet Keric was of the least of the wicked, if these bones were the only ones in his closet.