Gohmert Urges Withdrawal of Geithner Nomination
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is challenging President-elect Obama’s choice of Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner and demanding answers to the obvious question, “How can such overwhelming authority over taxpayers be entrusted to a man who repeatedly evaded paying taxes himself?”
Gohmert stated, “There is an air of excitement in Washington this week as millions have gathered to see the events surrounding President-elect Obama’s inauguration. Americans are eager and expectant to see him lead this country in what we hope will be the right direction. It is truly historic and even around the world people are excited. We also know that he nominated Mr. Geithner as Treasury Secretary out of the best of intentions as his tax improprieties had not yet come to light. Now that we know of his many failures to pay his taxes, Geithner’s appointment and confirmation would be a direct contradiction to President-Elect Obama’s commitment to an ethical administration, and more importantly, it would undermine his promise to those who elected him. He does not need that kind of ethical blot on his administration from the start.
“Mr. Geithner’s tax infidelity was apparently not an innocent mistake - reports indicate that he actively avoided paying Social Security and Medicare taxes for 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, and still refused to pay after receiving explicit material making him aware of the error of his ways. It took an IRS audit to finally get him to pay the taxes he owed from 2003 and 2004, and he didn’t pay the remainder of the back taxes until the Senate Finance Committee Staff revealed his indiscretions during his Secretary nomination process.
“When it comes to following the law, there should be no double standard between taxpayers and those in authority forcing people to pay taxes. Geithner has had to pay nearly $50,000 in interest and back taxes, yet the IRS has not fined him, and now he is being rewarded with a key position in the Administration. How many small business owners and American citizens can evade taxes and avoid a fine, much less be rewarded with a plum appointment?
“Not only is it a slap in the face of this country for Mr. Geithner to be put in charge of taking taxes from the rest of us, but it is especially insulting when there is an expressed intent by the incoming Administration to raise taxes on already over-burdened Americans. This nomination violates everything that the President-elect called for in the way of ethics and could destroy trust by the American taxpayers.
“Mr. Geithner should not be Secretary of the Treasury, and I urge President-elect Obama to withdraw his nomination. If President-Elect Obama does not, then our Senators must make it clear that they will not permit a tax evader to become the Secretary of the Treasury. It is imperative that our nation’s leaders block this nomination to let Americans know that the law applies justly to all. The incoming administration has brought so much hope into the nation’s Capitol - it shouldn’t be destroyed by one sophisticated tax dodger.”
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