"Daschle missed $128,000 in taxes over three years; Revelation may pose an obstacle to confirmation" by Ceci Connolly, Washington Post | January 31, 2009
WASHINGTON - Tom Daschle, nominated to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, failed to pay more than $128,000 in taxes over three years, a revelation that poses a potential obstacle to his pending Senate confirmation.
As Leona Helmsley allegedly said "taxes are only for little people."
The back taxes plus $12,000 in interest and penalties involved unreported consulting fees, questionable charitable contributions and a car and driver provided by a private equity firm run by entrepreneur and longtime Democratic Party donor Leo Hindery Jr., according to a "confidential draft" report prepared by Senate Finance Committee staff.
WHO is Daschle hooked up with?
"Leo Hindery, Jr. chairs the Smart Globalization Initiative at the New America Foundation, and is managing partner of a New York-based media industry private equity fund. Previously, he was CEO of AT&T Broadband and its predecessor, Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI). He is the author of "It Takes a CEO: It's Time to Lead With Integrity"
"Leo Hindery Jr., cable television entrepreneur and onetime professional race car driver, walked out of the buffet at the hospitality club at the racetrack here and spotted Gov. Eliot Spitzer in his pressed trousers and buttoned-down pinstripe shirt. Mr. Hindery, who finished first at Le Mans in 2005 and currently serves as an economic adviser to the presidential candidate John Edwards, hugged Mr. Spitzer, then bellowed that the governor was “the best Jewish Nascar fan they’ve ever had.”
Daschle's gotta go.
A spokeswoman for Daschle confirmed last night that he recently paid back taxes in excess of $100,000 but did not disclose the extent of Daschle's tax errors and the timetable of when he and others addressed those issues....
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Daschle has been called to appear before the committee in a closed-door session Monday, committee staff said. As yet, Daschle has failed to provide adequate documentation relating to charitable contributions he claimed for the past three years, and staff is reviewing whether free trips he took should be reported as income.
Additionally, Daschle intends to amend his tax returns a second time because he failed to pay Medicare taxes related to his employment of the driver of the car service. The lapse was discovered by Finance Committee staff.
Oh, Tommy, toilet! YOU STINK!!!
In addition to earning $2 million from the law firm Alston & Bird, the former Senate majority leader has also been on the payroll of Hindery's private equity firm, InterMedia Advisors, since he left the Senate in 2005, earning $2 million last year, according to documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics.
Gees, this guy is rolling in dough.
Daschle's failure to report the free car service to the Internal Revenue Service was first reported by ABC News last night. Under tax law, not reporting compensation - including free services such as air travel or a car service - can be a crime. But such lapses must be intentional, a tax specialist said....
His elite Senate friends will hem and haw -- then confirm the good old boy!
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"Daschle returning to Senate to defend his reputation; Confirmation stalled amid tax questions" by Ceci Connolly, Washington Post | February 2, 2009
WASHINGTON - .... Daschle's prospects became complicated during the first week of the year, when he detailed for the White House and the Finance Committee a series of tax errors made over the past three years. Most significantly, he did not pay taxes on a luxury car and driver provided by his friend and employer, Democratic businessman Leo Hindery Jr....
Well, you know about him now.
Daschle, who has been out of town visiting an ailing brother, has been unavailable for interviews.
Cue violin. Not trying to be insesitive, but do they care if you are ailing under foreclosure or job loss when you can't pay the health care bill? No, they don't.
He has not responded to requests to release his tax returns. Many Democrats rose to his defense yesterday....
Better check them britches, too!
One longtime friend blamed Hindery's company, InterMedia Advisors, for the tax oversight. Daschle did report the $1 million annual consulting fee he received from the private equity firm. But Daschle, who entered the private sector in 2005, did not realize until last summer that the Internal Revenue Service considers the free car and driver compensation, Washington lawyer Frederick Graefe said.
"If there was no 1099 [form] from his employer for the car and driver, how was he to know it was taxable?" Graefe said. "His integrity is beyond reproach."
So QUIT ASKING and BLOGGING about it, rabble!!!
And make sure you Sig Heil the HHS Sec when he goes by!!!!!!
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