| | 'Are there other noms with tax problems?' White House is asked
 Right from the get-go, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was besieged by questions from the press during Tuesday's briefing regarding the two Obama administration picks who resigned this morning due to tax issues.
"Are there other nominees out there with tax problems that we don't know about?" a reporter asked Gibbs.
Gibbs didn't really answer the question, and was later asked why a nominee that was already confirmed shouldn't also withdraw, since he also had tax problems in the past.
Unlike former Senator Tom Daschle, who withdrew from consideration as Obama's Health and Human Services secretary pick, and Nancy Killefer, who pulled out after being tapped to become White House budget watchdog, Gibbs pointed out that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was already confirmed.
Gibss later complained that he didn't want "to play Monday morning quarterback" when asked why Obama allowed the nominees to withdraw from consideration instead of booting them himself.
Gibbs insisted that "the decision was made by Senator Daschle" to withdraw and that he "didn't receive a signal" from the White House.
Later in the briefing, Gibbs was forced to defend himself after April Ryan from the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) accused him of dodging questions on the withdrawals and perceived double standards regarding tax issues and lobbying.
Gibbs conceded the questions were "fair," but appeared to have trouble satisfying the White House press for the remainder of the briefing.
This video is from CNN.com, broadcast Feb. 3, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
|
