White House Looked Past Alarms on Kerik (WP)

[struggle4progress]

Giuliani, Gonzales Pushed DHS Bid Forward

By John Solomon and Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, April 8, 2007; Page A01

When former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani urged President Bush to make Bernard B. Kerik the next secretary of homeland security, White House aides knew Kerik as the take-charge top cop from Sept. 11, 2001. But it did not take them long to compile an extensive dossier of damaging information about the would-be Cabinet officer.

They learned about questionable financial deals, an ethics violation, allegations of mismanagement and a top deputy prosecuted for corruption. Most disturbing, according to people close to the process, was Kerik's friendship with a businessman who was linked to organized crime. The businessman had told federal authorities that Kerik received gifts, including $165,000 in apartment renovations, from a New Jersey family with alleged Mafia ties.

Alarmed about the raft of allegations, several White House aides tried to raise red flags. But the normal investigation process was short-circuited, the sources said. Bush's top lawyer, Alberto R. Gonzales, took charge of the vetting, repeatedly grilling Kerik about the issues that had been raised. In the end, despite the concerns, the White House moved forward with his nomination -- only to have it collapse a week later.

The selection of Kerik in December 2004 for one of the most sensitive posts in government became an acute but brief embarrassment for Bush at the start of his second term. More than two years later, it has reemerged as part of a federal criminal investigation of Kerik that raises questions about the decisions made by the president, the Republican front-runner to replace him and the embattled attorney general. ~snip~

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/07/AR2007040701398.html

Long informative article

[justgamma]

1. You gotta' be a crook to work at this WH.

[gratuitous]

2. A fog over Washington begins to break apart

Starting to discern a little pattern here, Washington Post?

[TnDem]

3. Forget Chimp....

This will end up hurting Rudy's campaign, (if he ever really has one).

[ljm2002]

4. The best part is ...

... it was Alberto "Stinky" Gorgonzales who "took over" after issues were uncovered -- and continued to push the nomination.

What a bunch of incompetent crooks, corrupt to the core.