Daschle Due For Hot Seat Over Back Taxes

The White House nominee for Health Secretary is due for a private grilling tomorrow, by the Senate Finance Committee, and as CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports, former Senator Tom Daschle has to explain how he racked up a massive back-tax bill.

Last June, the former Senator found out he might owe back taxes for the use of a car and driver, provided by a wealthy friend. He paid the bill on Jan. 2 - $128,000 plus $12,000 in interest.
He did not tell Obama officials until Jan. 4.

Democratic Senators rallied to Daschle's defense.

"This was clearly an oversight," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told CBS News Face The Nation "He's made recompense. He's admitted it."

"If all you knew about Tom Daschle was that he used to be a Senator, and he made a mistake and had to pay over $100,000 in back taxes, you have a right to be skeptical, even cynical," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Fox News Sunday. "But if you know Tom Daschle, you know better."

Republicans sounded more skeptical.

"Well, sure, you have to be troubled by it," said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), also on Fox News Sunday.

"I want to find out more about it," Sen. Jim Demint (R-S.C.) told ABC. "But it's disheartening, obviously."

"It certainly concerns me," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told CNN.

It's one more in a series of nominee mishaps, Dozier reports.

Governor Bill Richardson pulled out of his nomination as Commerce Secretary because of a legal inquiry into possible corruption in his administration. Timothy Geithner's confirmation as Treasury Secretary was delayed, because of a $34,000 bill for back taxes.

No senator has indicated they'll vote against Daschle - but they say this confirmation won't come easy. And it will likely cost Obama some serious political capital, which he'll need for other fights, like passing the stimulus package.

White House officials told CBS News today the president stands behind Daschle - and they are confident he'll be confirmed. They say Mr. Obama believes nobody's perfect, but that nobody's hiding anything, Dozier reports.
By Kimberly Dozier

[mommajommah]

change we can believe in.

[lost_america]

You might as well let him have the job,

I doubt seriously that a more honest man can be found (On either side of the isle)

This band will continue to play on even as the ship sinks and the sailors fight about the best way to arrange the deck chairs.

Don%u2019t worry though, there are more people to blame then flavors at Baskin Robbins and when everyone is responsible no one really is.

So, pick your flavor! Would you like nuts with that?

(Today%u2019s special is rocky road)

[wf121]

I would like to know just one thing when two of Obama''s cabinet members do not pay their taxes it''s just an oversight, when Joe the plummer does it he goes to prison for tax evasion. WHY???????

[lifesaverron]

%u201CDeeply embarrassed%u201D about $128,000 in errors on his taxes?! So says Daschle the tax cheat. Where is the CBS story on this? Where is the media? If this was a conservative, this would be a 24/7 story. How do I know? History! Old Joe the plumber was raked over the coals for a delinquent tax payment of a few hundred dollars. About the time I think the media could not sink any lower in desire to publicize the truth and do so without prejudice, another story like this comes along. THEY HAVE NO CREDIBILITY LEFT!

[indivthinker]

It''s amazing how some liberals will either 1. deny the fact, 2. defend these corrupt politicians, or 3. insult the Bush squad.

1. You cannot deny the facts. He is guilty, otherwise he wouldn''t have admitted it and paid back the taxes.
2. You can''t defend him unless you support full hypocrisy. This man is willing to increase our taxes to pay for his socialist health care programs that will cost us hundreds of billions of dollars, but he will not pay for his share of the program.
3. The Bush years are over. Referring back to the Republicans has no effect other than to show that you have no defense. Just because a Republican may have done something in the past, that does not excuse the current situation for a Democrat, especially when the leader of the Democratic party (Obama) promised change.

We are here in the present, and in the present the Democrats control the Presidency and have huge majorities in Congress. The excuses are over for the Democrats. Accept responsibility. The Democrats are just as corrupt, if not more corrupt, than the Republicans are.

[likeitis5050]

Oh, please. He''s in. Why they want to act like ''it might be a big deal'' is beyond understanding at this point. Short of murder...meaning someone watches a Democrat commit the murder...nothing is a big deal in this Administration. Quit hatin''.

[andie52]

I thought all politicians had tax accountants but aside from that it%u2019s not the type of tax evasion that people are jailed for. I would label it more as a dumb mistake or omission. It doesn%u2019t prove he or anyone else is a crook.

[uisignorant]

He is a Dumborat, nobody cares if they break the law.
After all they are gods.

[rickwar]

He paid the bill on Jan. 2 - $128,000 plus $12,000 in interest.

Guess the NAYS have never heard of an "Ammended Return" or never had a tax issue.

I''m sure he did his own taxes, using TurboTax--Right The CPA who did his taxes f''d up.

By the way "He paid the bill on Jan. 2 - $128,000 plus $12,000 in interest." That was found in June, gee, about the time it takes the IRS to do the first pass on many taxes done by April.

Key word here "paid"

Perhaps we should look at all Congress and Senate members taxes closer all the time.

[tincup356]

Posted by dongo1955 at 06:54 AM : Feb 02, 2009,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Do you really think one party does any different than the other party in ANY given situation?.....There are not two different parties.....It is ONE monster ...With TWO heads.........Just because Obama was elected ...does not mean a thing,,,,,,,,ALL of our government is full of rotten apples...why? because the barrel has nothing BUT rotten apples in it.....Democrat,,,republican,,,,,,may as well say ...crypt or blood same difference,,,,, looks like the headbangers ball is coming to America ....real soon. I give the economy about 4-6 weeks ...that is when the next economic disaster will start to unfold......the collapse of the commercial property finances where all the big corporations that are going under,,,are going to leave a lot of financed properties sitting empty with no one to buy them,,,,,get ready folks they are telling you one thing and preparing for another.