A number of pundits on the Left tried to shift the fallout over the Obama Administration's failure over the Christmas bombing by blaming GOP senator Jim DeMint for putting a hold on the nomination of Erroll Southers, Obama's choice to head the TSA.
Turns out DeMint knew exactly what he was doing:
The White House nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration gave Congress misleading information about incidents in which he inappropriately accessed a federal database, possibly in violation of privacy laws, documents obtained by The Washington Post show.
The disclosure comes as pressure builds from Democrats on Capitol Hill for quick January confirmation of Erroll Southers, whose nomination has been held up by GOP opponents. In the aftermath of an attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day, calls have intensified for lawmakers to install permanent leadership at the TSA, a critical agency in enforcing airline security.
Southers, a former FBI agent, has described inconsistencies in his accounts to Congress as "inadvertent" and the result of poor memory of an incident that dates back 20 years. He said in a Nov. 20 letter to key senators obtained by The Post that he had accepted full responsibility long ago for a "grave error in judgment" in accessing confidential criminal records about his then-estranged wife's new boyfriend.
His letter to Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate homeland security committee, and Susan Collins (Maine), the ranking Republican on the panel, attempts to correct statements about the episode that were made in a sworn affidavit on Oct. 22 and have been reported.
Southers did not respond to a request for an interview.
Actually, this goes well beyond just using confidential records illegally, or s a violation of the federal Privacy Act. Given the clandestine nature of this White House, its enemies list and its targeting of opponents, this should make people wonder not only about what else Southers told Congress that wasn't true, but about his future conduct in office.
Among other things, Southers supports the unionization of TSA employees, which means that rather than spend money training superior personnel, we'll be stuck with another public employee union protecting incompetence and using its political clout for ever-increasing pay and benefits...and oh yes, campaign contributions to the Democrats.
That's not exactly a recipe for the best possible emphasis on transit security, believe me.
I thought you were pro-union?
ReplyDeleteI am definitely NOT pro public-employee union.Since their paychecks come from taxes, unions like th e SEIU making political contributions amounts to a 'tax' in favor of the Democrats by the entire electorate.And I would feel the same way if the money was going to the GOP.
ReplyDeleteNor do I want unions anywhere near the front lines of national security.
Lying and perjury makes a democreep a recipient of instant approval by his party organization and voters. He will be confirmed in short order!
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