Hope And Change: Noted Tax Evader Now Secretary Of The Treasury, Head Of The IRS
Have we ever had a tax cheat heading the IRS before? Or is Obama making history once again?
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday confirmed New York Federal Reserve Bank chief Timothy Geithner as President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary despite tax problems that might have sunk his nomination in less desperate times.
The 60-34 vote, in which handfuls of Republicans and Democrats voted against their party leaders, put Geithner at the helm of Obama’s economic team as it races to halt the worst financial slide in generations.
In swift order reflecting the urgency, Obama was expected to attend Geithner’s swearing in Monday evening at the Treasury Department. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Geithner has made amends — he has paid the taxes and penalties — and possesses the talent the nation needs to steer the nation out of the crisis.
Geithner, 47, served as undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs during the Clinton administration. As president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, he’s been a key player in the government’s response to collapsing financial institutions and the housing and credit markets since last summer.
Here’s the roll call.
North Dakotans will note that, despite blathering from Senator Kent Conrad that Geithner’s tax evasions were “unacceptable,” both Conrad and Dorgan voted in favor of his appointment. I guess “completely unacceptable” doesn’t actually mean completely unacceptable.
For a typical American, evading $43,000 in taxes with “I don’t know how to run Turbo Tax” as your only excuse would mean big fines and possibly jail time. But if you’re a member of the political elite favored by Democrats, especially Obama the liberal messiah, it’s all ok.
If Geithner had been a Republican he wouldn’t have even gotten a vote whether Republicans were in the majority or not.
