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Indictment Suggests White House Discussed Kerik Mob Ties before He Withdrew Nomination
Finally, evidence suggesting that the White House knew that Bernie Kerik had much more than a nanny problem.
It took only a week for President Bush's nomination of Kerik to replace Tom Ridge as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to fall apart. And its abruptness -- and the reason given -- has always been cause for suspicion.
On December 2, 2004, President Bush announced that his pick to replace Tom Ridge as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security was Bernard Kerik. On December 10th, a Friday, at 8:30 p.m., Kerik suddenly withdrew his nomination, explaining in a statement that he'd discovered that his former housekeeper and nanny might not be a legal immigrant and that he hadn't paid taxes on her. It was the sole reason given for his withdrawal, both in his statement and in subsequent comments by White House officials.
But Kerik's indictment last Thursday indicates that the White House was dealing with bigger problems: Kerik's ties to the mob.
The centerpiece of the indictment was Kerik's acceptance, from 1999 through 2000, of $255,000 worth of apartment renovations (including a marble rotunda) from executives with Interstate Industrial Corporation, a company with ties to the Gambino crime family. The feds say that Kerik, who was NYC corrections commissioner and then police commissioner during the time in question, worked on Interstate's behalf in return for the money, work that included attempting to convince city investigators that the company was free of mob ties so that it could get city contracts.
Unfortunately for Kerik, the secret of his ties to Interstate began to unravel just about the time of his nomination. On December 2nd, the same day that Bush announced Kerik was his pick, The New York Daily News, which had been digging for six weeks on Kerik's ties to Interstate, sent him a list of questions about those ties.
On December 5th, the indictment alleges, Kerik "made various false and misleading statements about his relationship with [Interstate and it's top executives]" in an email to a White House official (who remains unnamed). It was one of several allegedly false and misleading statements that Keik is charged in the indictment with making to White House officials. However, unlike the other false statements, which appear from the indictment to involves sins of omission -- like failure to disclose -- the language of the indictment suggests that the December 5th email was an affirmative misrepresentation. In other words, in the thick of the vetting process, the White House was asking Kerik about his ties to Interstate.
Five days later, he announced that he'd uncovered his nanny problem. Two days after that, on December 12th, the Daily News first reported that Kerik's brother and best friend had been hired by Interstate -- on Kerik's recommendation. Kerik had never responded to the list of questions, the paper reported.
Of course, Kerik's ties to Interstate were just one of a number of transgressions that were eventually uncovered (Interstate's $255,000 in payments for his apartment weren't uncovered until much later), though nothing else has proven as serious. At the time, however, anonymous White House officials told The New York Times that the nanny problem had clinched his need to withdraw, that "it would be impossible for him to win confirmation for a post that supervises enforcement of the nation's immigration laws if he had had immigration problems in his own household." At a White House press briefing, then-spokesman Scott McClellan would only say "It was a decision he came to. And as far as we're concerned, we respect his decision, and this matter has been now put to rest."
Kerik's attorney made the issue even clearer, telling the Times that "the decision to step down was not made because of any outside information gathered by news organizations or federal background checks, but rather by Mr. Kerik himself as he filled out application papers."
Comments (23)
Anonymous wrote on November 14, 2007 4:49 PM:The unnamed White House official was either Fredo or Harriet. All vetting goes through the White House Counsel's Office.
Michael wrote on November 14, 2007 4:51 PM:You know, its a shame that this guy wasn't confirmed as the head of homeland security. Can you just imagine the congressional hearings? It would have been truly incredible and they would have destroyed mr. 9/11's campaign before it even got started. What a shame.
He really is no different from the other criminals in the administration. He just wasn't smart enough to cover the garbage up better. Maybe he should have hired bartlett to help him. We know how good bartlett was at covering up for the king.
TheraP wrote on November 14, 2007 4:52 PM:See, it's simple. Crime families don't mix!
Aaron wrote on November 14, 2007 5:24 PM:Michael,
I think you're envisioning one of those hollywood portrayals of Congressional oversight...
Dramatic pauses... tough line of questioning... shocking revelation as the witness cracks under pressure...
We haven't seen much of that here in D.C. in a while... Certainly not much during this administration. Hell, I remember people being happy when Democrats took over Congress...
fafner1 wrote on November 14, 2007 5:49 PM:Bush is proud of his ability to make "gut" decisions. He interviewed Kerik and immediately decided he was the man. Probably the macho BSer mutual respect club thing.
gandhi wrote on November 14, 2007 6:24 PM:I'm curious about the News Corporation angle here. What's Murdoch's skin in this game?
Kerik's ex is suing Murdoch, saying his execs pressured her to protect Kerik and Giuliani. But is there just ONE mafia asset among News Ltd execs, or is Murdoch himself cosy with "la cosa nostra"? I mean, you talk about your links to the White House!
Anyone done an analysis of News Ltd coverage on Kerik/Giuliani versus other media players?
draftedin68 wrote on November 14, 2007 6:43 PM:.
McClellan: "...and this matter has been now put to rest."
Uhhh... 'fraid not, Scotty.
The more we learn about the underlying causes of the stench surrounding Roodee, the easier it is to understand why FOX NEWS is such a hotbed of Roodee rooters.
.
Anonymous wrote on November 14, 2007 7:27 PM:I'm currious why the CPA in Iraq under Bremmer did not perform vetting of Kerik prior to his assignment?
Ties to GOP Trumped Know-How Among Staff Sent to Rebuild Iraq
Early U.S. Missteps in the Green Zone
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Frank wrote on November 14, 2007 9:44 PM:Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 17, 2006; Page A01
I looked into his eyes and saw.........so as a decider I decided.....
mac2151 wrote on November 14, 2007 9:56 PM:Kerik's buddy Larry Ray claims that he told the FBI all about Kerik as early as 1999. Apparently, the Kerik file fell behind the desk along with Nada Proudy's.
Tommie27 wrote on November 14, 2007 10:41 PM:Bush made Kerik an offer He could'nt refuse!
tr wrote on November 14, 2007 10:54 PM:remember when gotti wanted guiliani hit and the mob bosses voted 3-2 against. want to bet gambino voted against.
Johnsnottoodistracted wrote on November 14, 2007 11:32 PM:To think nyc can function without full understanding and cooperation from both sides of the law is a fantasy. The g man is running with the help of all those supportes from both sides.
JMG wrote on November 15, 2007 6:50 AM:In big print most people can see the contrast between the two.Otherwise politico-inbreeding with money will continue as usual.No one ever pays attention who has the money as long as it's enough.
Bush is proud of his ability to make "gut" decisions. He interviewed Kerik and immediately decided he was the man.
You know what they say no? Birds of a feather flock together. One person with utter contempt for the law needed another one
Begonia Buzzkill wrote on November 15, 2007 11:51 AM:Here's the Question: IF SHE LIED TO THE FEDS' INVESTIGATORS - she has now confessed to doing so in her own court filing, right? Didn't she just set herself up with having charges made against her by the federal agencies involved in the Investigation ie: hiding evidence/lying?
The Regan court filing in itself is confessing she NOT ONLY LIED TO FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS, SHE HID EVIDENCE FROM THEM, the same evidence her attorney is citing in the filed complaint against New Corp.
Is it possible the FEDS investigating know she lied and now she's scrambling for the bucks via this law suit to cover her butt? OR -- did she just set herself up to have charges of withholding evidence and lying to federal investigators in a big stupid move with her court filing confessing to doing so?
Dawn wrote on November 15, 2007 12:35 PM:I am a person who routinely attended police charity events (had family organizing many of them--family duty to show my face and be an ornament) where Kerik was expected to attend and unlike Kelly, did attend all the events treating all charities equally with regard to merit. When Police Commissioners attend, the turn-out is far better! The charities serve useful purposes from providing scholarships (merit based) since NYPD's pay has much to be desired, to enabling the PD to streamline procurement by going outside the PD to raise funds for emergency needs. An example of the latter was after 911 NYPD felt it needed portable radiation detectors. The only way the force could learn if they worked was by buying them. This need wasn't envisioned prior to 911, so wasn't in the PD's budget right after 911. The only way to raise the money quickly for the acquisition was for one of the charities to step-up and hold an event to raise it.
I never talked much with Kerik at the events I attended, but he usually was within earshot of me at these events and most of his time was spent working at the events...troubleshooting problems that kept arising. Officers were always coming-up to him at the events whispering into his ear of the latest management dilemna. He was a very hands-on PC; I had several others to compare him to on an interpersonal level over the years, and rated his performance as excellent.
My employer, its CEO and I are caught-up in the Cunningham and Abramoff probes as victims. Both these probes have the Russian mafia as an underlying common thread. Ridge is more connected to the Cunningham probe than Abramoff probe. I was head of government operations for the company at the time Kerik was PC. My audience back then was Uncle Sam, not the Big Apple so I never once discussed the company and its products with Kerik.
General Hayden's (then head of NSA) explanations of why Tom Ridge was pushed from office pertained to my employer and decision we made to become ex-pat (another democracy) days before Ridge was "pushed overboard." Kerik of course, initially was put forth as Ridge's replacement. Almost 4 years ago a contract was taken-out on me--probably because I was the only management team member with money to infuse into the company so its doors would stay open, by the Russian mafia with one of the Italian mob organized crime units in the US that tried to kill me three times between NYC and Rockville, MD in a span of approximately 4 months. For multiple reasons I am pretty sure the contract remains in effect, but my lifestyle changed and no longer am I an easy target.
There is much irony that Kerik, a person who wasn't a stranger to me but was a person I never once discussed my employer with, originally was nominated by the adminstration to undo Ridge's damage with my employer to lure us back home to the US, also had the possible same mob connections that at the time were trying to kill me! There could be far more drama in the Kerik story than any of us realize! In any case, it appears Kerik did wrong before and after he was PC, so this really has become a modern version of a Shakespearean Greek tragedy. He was one of NYC's best PCs ever! People are always focusing on his role when 911 happened, but I watched him in action up close and personal even before and found his performance to be excellent. (Safir was the other NYC PC I found to be excellent.)
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