Obama Performance Czar Withdraws Candidacy

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

UPDATED Nancy Killefer, who was tapped last month to be chief performance officer in the Obama administration, withdrew her candidacy today over tax issues.

"I recognize that your agenda and the duties facing your Chief Performance Officer are urgent," Killefer wrote in a letter to President Obama that was released by the White House. "I have also come to realize in the current environment that my personal tax issue of D.C. Unemployment tax could be used to create exactly the kind of distraction and delay those duties must avoid."

"Because of this I must reluctantly ask you to withdraw my name from consideration," she wrote.

Last month, the Associated Press reported that the D.C. government had filed a $946.69 tax lien on Killefer's home over nonpayment of employment taxes on household help.

An executive with consulting firm McKinsey & Co., Killefer would have been the first chief performance officer in the nation's history, tasked with maintaining fiscal discipline and responsibility and overseeing budget and spending reform.

She was also nominated last month to serve as Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.

In announcing his choice of Killefer back on January 7th, President Obama said she would work to "restore the American people's confidence in their government – that it's on their side, spending their money wisely, to meet their families' needs."

Officials have not answered questions about Killefer's tax problems since they surfaced last month.

Killefer is the third Obama nominee to face questions over taxes, following now-confirmed Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle. (UPDATE: Daschle has now withdrwan from consideration.)

Geithner initially failed to pay $34,000 in income taxes while Daschle did not initially pay $128,000 in taxes related to a car and driver.

Mr. Obama's first Commerce secretary pick, Bill Richardson, had to withdraw from consideration amid a federal investigation into contracts won by donors.

At an appearance this morning announcing his new choice for Commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg, President Obama ignored a question about his nominees' tax problems.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by ormondbeach1 February 3, 2009 4:58 PM EST: Obama is turning into a joke before my eyes. I''m embarrassed for him, he seems in over his head and he''s drowning. One term Obama if he is not recalled or impeached.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:49 PM EST: LOL Dubya? Is that YOU? rotflmao
Posted by harbinger09

Translation: I have my fingers in my ears going LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! and saying I CAN''''T HEAR YOU! I CAN''''T HEAR YOU!

Your Messiah is nominating CRIMINAL tax evaders for positions of high trust in the government.

Posted by brianwwb at 01:44 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Your moniker is even an attempt at a copy. Can you come up with nothing on your own? Brianwb would never post the drivel you do--what''s wrong, all you can do is read the posts here, cut and paste and change a few words around to pretend they came from your own mind? That mentally bankrupt? And when you do have a "thought" of your own, it is so flawed that immediately it becomes easily filleted or flayed like a piece of raw beef? LOL

I could have asked if you were Palin, but you appear to me a frustrated male--and you failed to end your sentences with the requisite "also" and too, ya know, ya betcha" lines. LOL

Stop posting to me, you want relevancy, you are not engaging in intelligent discourse and my penchant for feeding trolls today is limited.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:45 PM EST: While Bush and Cheney were UNPOPULAR, not part of the politically correct CLIQUE, failed to adhere to appropriate HIGH SCHOOL POPULARITY standards, failed to act like EUROPEAN POLITICIANS, etc.

Your messiah is nominating people who are exposed as engaging in actual criminal acts that are coming on a stage with heads held high and leaving with heads bowed down in CRIMINAL embarrassment.

And we, as a country are embarrassed too.

Posted by brianwwb at 01:41 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Bush and Cheney were not just unpopular,they were criminals who refused to testify under oath, who lied to get us into an illegal war and who trashed the Constitution, and whose decisions caused the DEATHS of thousands of Americans as well as were instrumental in the deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of Iraqis.

Though what Obama is doing disgusts me, it in no way can compare to the harm done by the Bush administration. Not internationally, economically, or in morale. That was the worse administration ever and "not popular" is like saying the sun is a bit warm. Tremendous understatment.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:41 PM EST: NOT PAYING THE REQUIRED TAXES IS NOT JUST DEMOCRATS IT IS ALSO REPUBLICANS AND ANY OTHER POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS. AS LONG AS THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TURN THEIR HEAD FROM THE BIG MONEY, THESE PEOPLE WILL GET AWAY WITH IT. SOME OF THIS ACCOUNTABILTY GOES TO THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY WHO IS SUPPOSE TO BE COLLECTING (IRS)!!

It is not a crime, but paying taxes is required and that being the case I guess we need to tell the people who are serving time in jail for tax evasion that they ddn''''t commit a crime but OH WELL!!

Posted by cyndiv1 at 01:38 PM : Feb 03, 2009

If the Government can prove taxes were wilfully evaded and was not just an oversight..it IS a crime and people can go to jail for it. For a case like Daschle''s a lesser person (like an ordinary American) would probably be in jail by now--at the very least they would probably have Tens of thousands in penalties (if not hundreds of thousands) to pay back as well as the amount plus interest.

This is elitism, favoritism and just ethically evil. And Obama standing by him and that other guy is just as foul as when Bush stood by his own miscreants. Obama may have lied about change, but WE the people can force him to stick to it, and choke on it, if we want to.; Reply to this comment


by cyndiv1 February 3, 2009 4:38 PM EST: NOT PAYING THE REQUIRED TAXES IS NOT JUST DEMOCRATS IT IS ALSO REPUBLICANS AND ANY OTHER POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS. AS LONG AS THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TURN THEIR HEAD FROM THE BIG MONEY, THESE PEOPLE WILL GET AWAY WITH IT. SOME OF THIS ACCOUNTABILTY GOES TO THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY WHO IS SUPPOSE TO BE COLLECTING (IRS)!!

It is not a crime, but paying taxes is required and that being the case I guess we need to tell the people who are serving time in jail for tax evasion that they ddn''t commit a crime but OH WELL!!; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:36 PM EST: think you delusional in that you have been crushed in this debate and cannot accept the fact.

So plain and simple--you want to run with the big boys and consider yourself capable of salient debate--then as usual--drivel ensues. rotflmao.

Posted by brianwwb at 01:32 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Cons imitate more than most. (Why they got their own "Steely Obamite as RNC now" But thank you. By all means cut and paste as many of my posts as you need to pretend you thought of them first...heh heh.

Now...pull those big boy pants of yours up, try to be original and maybe one day, we will take you seriously. Until then, you are a wannabee who can''t think fast enough to come up with concise questions and does not ever want to admit that he got tangled in his own skewed posts. LOL Dubya? Is that YOU? rotflmao; Reply to this comment


by craigh9 February 3, 2009 4:35 PM EST: IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!

EVERY politican in this country is totally dishonest in 1 of 2 ways - they either pad their pockets at our expense, or if they aren''t in on it they freely turn their head and let others get away with so they don''t lose their "political capital" by turning them in.
WAKE UP AMERICA - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER VOTE FOR AN INCUMBANT AGAIN!!!
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OS EVERY SCUMBAG SUCKING THIS COUNTRY DRY.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:33 PM EST: Yes, Cindy McCain failed to pay taxes on property for over 8 years --reported in the News in June 2008. They had to pay back taxes because the property was about to be auctioned off for the back taxes.

Posted by harbinger09

Yea, so what? Nothing criminal here. No laws were broken.

But your Messiah is nominating CRIMINAL tax evaders for positions of high trust in the government.

Posted by brianwwb at 01:28 PM : Feb 03, 2009

sorry, my Messiah does not live on Earth. Obama is just a man, but in a field of imperfect men, he was the best of the worst choices--I said that during the primaries and before the general...I say it now. He is not great leader, but McCain with his "the economy is sound and not even knowing the offices he could fire or appoint people to, with airhead Palin by his side" would have been exponentially worse. That is a FACT.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:29 PM EST: Mr. Schwartz owed personal property taxes since 1999 but no charges were filed because it was not criminal.

Posted by brianwwb at 01:26 PM : Feb 03, 2009

But if someone was dumb enough to ask if "Mr. Schwartz had ever failed to pay his taxes and did not specify...the answer would still have been YES. Mr. Scwartz failed to pay his property taxes since 1999. Plain and simple--you want to run with the big boys and consider yourself capable of salient debate--then as usual--drivel ensues. rotflmao.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger09 February 3, 2009 4:26 PM EST: t''''s always going to be that way as long as people adhere to strict party lines. Dump them. Stop looking at politicians as ''''good guys'''' vs ''''bad guys''''. They are all schooled in the same courses in s.crewing tax payers. Either they s.crew the working man in favor of the business owner (Repubs) or they s.crew business owners in favor of themselves (Dems...sorry...s.crewing business is just plain suicide...and the government is the winner every time). They all eat together, laugh together, and share the same smoke at the end of the day as they enjoy the afterglow of s.crewing someone. Get over the party thing. Watch them all....they can''''t be trusted to work independently. Bless their hearts..even if the intention is good...corruption is every where.

Posted by likeitis5050 at 01:19 PM : Feb 03, 2009

Bravo. Well said.; Reply to this comment