Richardson, Obama Teams Trade Blame

[DeepModem Mom]

WP, pg1: Richardson, Obama Teams Trade Blame
By Carol D. Leonnig and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 6, 2009; Page A01

Weeks before President-elect Barack Obama chose New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to head the Commerce Department, a small group of volunteers with ethics, tax and investigative expertise -- most of them lawyers -- scoured his background looking for embarrassing facts or political problems. But the team underestimated a potential time bomb -- a grand jury investigation that had been focusing on Richardson's gubernatorial office. The investigation had been widely reported, but Richardson seemed convinced that the probe, which involved a campaign donor, was not likely to thwart his Senate confirmation.

Yesterday, however, Richardson abruptly withdrew from consideration. In the preceding weeks, the extent to which he had underestimated the seriousness of the FBI investigation became obvious both to Obama's vetting team and to Richardson's own staff.

Sources within the transition and the Justice Department said that Richardson had played down the importance of the probe and did not reveal that his office and staff could be at risk. The seriousness of the matter became apparent after the FBI began its own background check on Dec. 2.

But Richardson's longtime aides defended his disclosures, noting that subjects under examination by a grand jury are rarely aware of its secret deliberations. "This was out there, and he told them," said a senior Richardson aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. "I feel that they just missed the boat on it. The FBI or the campaign or something. I don't think it's fair that this is being portrayed as him holding anything back."...

***

A Richardson aide said the governor did "nothing wrong" and noted that New Mexico news outlets had reported on the federal grand jury probe starting in August, when officials at the Finance Authority were first interviewed by the FBI about the agency's selection of CDR Financial and its president, David Rubin, a Richardson donor. But a source with the Obama transition said Richardson's disclosures to the team were incomplete. A Justice Department source also said Richardson neglected to mention the ongoing investigation on a background-check questionnaire.

FBI agents assigned to comb his background learned independently that an inquiry was underway in New Mexico, the source said. Staff members in the deputy attorney general's office relayed the existence of a "significant" probe -- but no details of the investigation -- to senior members of the transition team....

***

Pendleton James, who led the vetting process for President Ronald Reagan's nominees, called the situation "astounding." "Come on, they just found this out yesterday?" he asked. "If this was some misdemeanor, I could understand, but . . . a grand jury investigation anywhere near a sitting governor?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010503047.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR

[PurityOfEssence]

1. There's an annoying trend to be quiet when they should speak, and pipe up when they should be quiet

There was no reason to slag Richardson and his people except to make themselves look like victims. With something like this coming to light, any sane and fairminded person would think that they hadn't delved deep enough into Richardson's current affairs. They should have just said that they regretted his withdrawal or something even more noncommital. Instead, they had to remind everyone of their perfection, which seems to be pretty important for them to have everyone thinking.

Here's what's disturbing: after a studied career of ducking controversy and avoiding tough issues, this team realizes that they're going to have to stand up and be specific now and then. For some reason, though, they seem to pick fights that are best left alone. This is an example, and the Burris situation is an extreme example. At least they got the Feinstein flap right and tweaked the story so it looked like they had just been a little unaware of or insensitive to protocol; by apologizing there, they did themselves a world of good. This, however, is just silly.

Richardson's a fool, and an embattled fool is a dangerous one. It's best to just leave that and let it run its course; if they engage in some blame-gaming, it just makes both sides look incompetent, petty and deceptive, and that's ruinous. He's bumbled along as an embarrassment throughout the process, and now he looks not only disloyal to the Clintons, but is starting to look like that to the Obama team.

[Cha]

2. Yeah, the corporatemediawhores

claiming a feud between Dems. Instead of "sources"..Obama and Richardson need to make a statement on this.

Corporate media brought us the bushits for 8 years and the War On Iraq.

[FrenchieCat]

3. And it appears that some in "essence" above are buying the bullshit

and running with it, while assigning blame....cause they ain't got shit else to do.

[merh]

5. shhh, haven't you heard

NBC banned Coulter for life. :rofl:
























:hide:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. The manufactured rift between DiFi and the Obama camp was disgusting

Sadly, it was front page on Huffington Post. I would have thought better of the liberal blogs.

[JayMusgrove]

4. I'm with you!!!!!!!!! This is all printed in some source to keep readership

There is no "there" there!

I wish it were June now, and Obama were in command, Bush was facing multiple national and international indictments, and Cheney were in GTMO, or somewhere in a Russian prison awaiting international trial. Gonzo, Rummy, and others all held in-communicado somewhere...without lawyers, facing water boarding daily....

This bull crap about Richardson, over a possibly questionable $100,000 total series of donations to his Governor's campaign, and a $1.5 million contract in a small state with budget in the few billions........this is all some right wing media circus.

I say forget it, and go for the juicy meat, Bush-2, first President of the USA to be convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and launching wars on innocent people.

[Cha]

6. Right..the sooner everyone realizes

that corporatemedia is public enemy number one the sooner we move forward.

[FrenchieCat]

7. I'm not one to forget.

[Cha]

9. No, not

you:fistbump: