Kerik burninated (but not by the DHS)
From today's Press Gaggle, Scott McClellan fields questions about Bernard Kerik, here is an interesting passage:
Q: Scott, Mr. Kerik said that when he was finally filling out some of those detailed forms, that's when it dawned on him that he might have a problem.
McCLELLAN: That's right.
Q: Would it be better, in the vetting process, to have that filled out beforehand, before he is nominated?
McCLELLAN: Well, I pointed out that they go through an awful -- they go through a pretty thorough vetting process in the initial phase. He did, and this -- I would point out to you that if you look at the nominations we have made, which I think are well over a thousand, less than -- well less than 1 percent have had to withdraw their nomination. I know Linda Chavez during the transition into the first term did, and then you have Commissioner Kerik. And I think that's -- it's a pretty solid record.
The fact is that the vetting process, as I mentioned, continues after the intent to nominate is made. And it was through that vetting process that this was discovered and brought to our attention. And so there are safeguards built in throughout the vetting process, and this was before the nomination went to the Senate.
Q: But I guess my question is, why wouldn't that stuff that caused the discovery be --
McCLELLAN: Well, as I pointed out in the initial phase of the vetting process -- I mean, before a nomination goes to the Senate you have to fill out more detailed confirmation or clearance forms. But as I pointed out in that -- in the vetting process, to some degree you have to rely on that candidate to provide you with all the information you need. And we make that clear up front that it's important that we are provided with all that information, and an accurate accounting of information.
I think that stands for itself, but may I add something more. Funny how the love den, or the multiple cases of infidelity, or Kerik's longstanding ties to mob-linked Jersey construction company, or Riker's becoming new Tammany Hall, or his unexplained departure from Iraq never came up in this "thorough vetting" (done by AG-nominee Albert Gonzales). Isn't anyone else a bit scared that the future AG can't handle a simple Cabinet-level vetting? It must be keeping someone up nights at 1600 trying to figure out which is the best way to spin this:
- Kerik didn't tell them the whole truth thus their vetting process didn't do its' job, or
- The President made the decision without proper vetting, and no one could (or would) properly advise him
Talk about balancing the world on a pin. This all goes back to the fact that DHS isn't a high priority and apparently no one at 1600 can properly advise the President, or, he doesn't listen to anyone once his mind has been made up. My guess this is latter case (see Iraq, 2002 Invasion of) but you can make up your own mind.
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This is the permanent home of Kerik burninated (but not by the DHS). I wrote this post at 17:30 on December 13, 2004. This post is part of grubbykid.com, a weblog. If you liked this entry, why don't you read some other posts such as Build your own Lens or Umm, you had logs?? Or you could go to the site archives or return home. All are good choices.
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Some descriptive tags for this entry are: kerik DHS politics BushCo.
Mommy... what's a tag?
Some descriptive tags for this entry are: BushCo, DHS, kerik, politics.
Mommy... what's a tag?
