In discussing Timothy Geithner's tax problems, The Washington Post seems to have omitted some of the more glaring problems of disgraced New York Police Comissioner Bernie Kerik:
Others who ran into trouble because of back taxes included Bobby Ray Inman, nominated by Clinton to succeed Les Aspin as Defense Secretary; Linda Chavez, who was President Bush's choice for Labor Secretary; and Bernard B. Kerik, who Bush hoped to make secretary of Homeland Security.
Like Geithner, Kerik had employed an undocumented immigrant and had tax problems. But unlike Geithner, Kerik's conduct as a public official was suspect at the time, and he was arraigned only last month on corruption charges. Obviously "not under investigation for corruption" is a pretty minimal standard for a public official to meet. It seems odd to just list Kerik as just another confirmation derailed because of tax problems.
I should also say I don't care that Geithner employed an undocumented immigrant, as long as he paid her decently and treated her well. Everybody needs a job, and New York City is among the more receptive places in America for undocumented immigrants, so while people who have never lived there might be scandalized by this, it's actually pretty common.
As for Geithner and his taxes, his explanation for not paying taxes is pretty straightforward. Geithner thought his taxes were being subtracted from his paycheck, but they weren't, because his employer at the time, the IMF, doesn't automatically subtract taxes because they employ so many non-citizens. Geithner paid back $16,732 in taxes and interest for 2003-2004. But an IRS audit somehow missed the fact that he also hadn't paid taxes between 2001-2002 for the same reason, something that was uncovered by the Obama vetting team(!). The finance committee has documents that show Geithner had written that his social security taxes were being subtracted from his paycheck, so this seems like an honest mistake. As someone who finds doing his own taxes confusing, it's not surprising to me that someone would have this kind of trouble, although it's somewhat embarrassing given Geithner's financial background.
-- A. Serwer
This post has been edited for clarity.
