BREAKING: Bill Richardson Withdraws Name As Commerce Sec'y, Facing Grand Jury Investigation
By Nicole Belle Sunday Jan 04, 2009 11:30amGov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his name for consideration as U.S. Commerce Secretary, citing a federal investigation into a California company being investigated by the FBI, NBC News is reporting.
A call by the Independent to the governor’s spokesman was not immediately returned.
The NBC story said that Richardson “has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.”
Richardson naturally denies any wrongdoing in giving state contracts to campaign donors, but the damage has been done. Steve Clemons looks at what President-elect Obama's next move might be:
So, that's the second person who didn't make it through the process. Penny Pritzker was the first in line, but she also removed her name.
I think that the Obama team needs someone who understands the economy and the vital need to reinvest in high wage job growth creation, who understands the importance of redesigning America's domestic social contract between labor, firms, capital and government, and who is familiar with business -- and liked by labor.
There are very few who fit that bill, and Leo Hindery -- who was senior economic advisor to the John Edwards campaign and then was an economic advisor to the Obama campaign as well and authored the interesting book It Takes a CEO -- is a real stand out who the Obama team should consider for Commerce.
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Geez, is anyone completely unconnected to any trouble? Hope he's cleared, anyway.
I had respect for this guy. It shouldn't come as a surprise. Every single politician covered in taint.
Where is "They all suck"? He's as right as ever today.
Here in San Diego, a indy paper wrote a piece on how he was on the board of a company that did some funny business to jack their stock price up. They said that he could have known about the dealings.
What wasn't this clown dismissed two years ago?
Anyone who does five minutes of research on the Nobel website will learn that the Nobel committee does not release names of nominees for 50 years and that only members of the Nobel committee are eligible to nominate people.
Richardson and all others who claim to have been "Nobel prize nominees" should have been dismissed as liars. It shows just how inept, lazy, corrupt and sycophantic the US media is. If I can find it without much effort, why can't the US media with all its money and resources?
Paul Krugman.
I second your nomination.
Ah...yeh beat me to it.
Good thing Richardson wasn't tapped to be vp.
Another vote for Paul. Having him there would be just like having Jim Hightower in AG, or Dennis Kucinich as Attorney General.
as we now see that she can be easily bought
Really? I better go check my piggy bank, because I could use some.
That there is NO such thing as an honest politician. If he wasn't guilty, he sure as hell wouldn't have withdrawn his name.
Hillary would be next but partisan Dems luv Clinton as much as Rep's hate him. So, she is made of teflon.
At least until facts are presented?
I jumped the gun. Maybe give him say 8 years or so like Cheney and Bush had. Way better idea.
I don't think that person said anything of the sort.
Save your lame straw man arguments for elsewhere.
You are one of those "change" believers blindly following Obama too? I know the post I replied to is. I'm really curious. How old are posters on here? To actually believe and defend lying politicians, like oh "this one is different". Right.
You're one of those "both sides are the same" cynics who just witnessed the two most different presidents imaginable and can't even see it?
Bill Clinton told lies. The US experienced 8 years of peace and prosperity.
George Bush told lies. The US experienced 8 years of war and recession.
I think about how librul the MSM is, "Is Not" and it also bring to mind what happened to Don Siegalman. I kinda like facts before I make judgements.
...Richardson, and I thought he was a mediocre choice for Commerce. That said, I hope the investigation clears him -- because I'm sick of unethical and dishonest elected officials.
Whether he has done anything wrong or not, I hope this (and the Blagojevich investigation) put all elected officials on notice that their dealings will be subject to public and legal scrutiny and they will be held accountable.
Barry has already hired one Clinton, so why not hire the Clenis to be Commerce Secretary? Then we'll have both Clintons in Washington as players. The word is, the Clintons are selling their Chappaqua home to become fulltime Washington residents, so its a perfect fit.
It would deflect any of the lack of change progress away from Obama and give him and the media an excuse as to why no change is taking place. Just blame Clinton. Hey, maybe that's why Hillary has an important job instead of being an ambassador to sniper fire.
Appointed to defend the institution and sanctity of marriage.
now THAT would be the ultimate irony!!! Or Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Czar!
Maybe Barry needs to check-in with Rick Warren before he makes any more decisions about cabinet? .
So when will Hillary have to resign?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28485901/
Last year, I had dinner with perhaps the most respected independent journalist in the U.S. She had just returned from New Mexico where she had spoken with two women, unconnected to one another. These women both reported that Gov Richardson had made inappropriate and unwelcome advances on them. One woman was having lunch with Gov Richardson along with her husband. When her husband got up to use the restroom, Gov. Richardson put his hand on her leg underneath the table and tried to solicit sexual relations.
This is not the sort of behavior we need in the Obama cabinet.
in the US', I had this sudden, awful image of Gov. Richardson sliding his hand up Helen Thomas's thigh and asking her if she wanted to make out behind the ficus.
The mind boggles.
What we need to have public financing. This is the best way to get rid of some of the crooks that call themselves politicians. This will also stop most of the propaganda we hear during the election cycles.
Richardson is a politician of notable power and influence. Of course he did it, or has done things like it many many times.
Look at the Blagojovich "scandal". Blago did nothing wrong in his mind because it's all Business As Usual.
Anyone - Anyone - in a position of power and influence works the system to their advantage. It is simply sadly human nature. Look at the latest bubbling Clinton drama in Rochester. I'm sure we're all going to be very happy Obama picked her and Bill.
Business As Usual - S.O.P.
buh bye, bill.
Were Contracts awarded without following the State Bidding procedures?
I suppose Bush Should be charged for that Crime too!
IOKIARDI
Its the usual PAC funding raising by a businessman who also is a contractor over state transport, and use of a private jet.
It was a shame to read it at the time.
the name of any state where this isn't going on? Almost every politico is doing it to some extent yet only a few are targeted. Americans keep pretending this kind of thing is an oddity, when it's the very basis of political power in the US of A.
Looks like the good old boys, aren't all that good. A little sunlight and the rats scurry. Though his sudden departure tells me something is not right and he maybe guilty, it's nothing a good law firm can't fix... Why did he accept the appointment and why was he appointed? I hope none of the other retreads go flat...
Richardson is what he is, a DLC hack. He should never had been nominated in the first place.
I think that the Obama team needs someone who understands the economy
Isn't it possible Richardson's Not Guilty? There's the whole presumption of innocense even for politicians. He could be withdrawing to expedite Obama's transition.
Of course my view would be more hostile if he were a hypocrite on the issue, or had a history of bad dealing like booshco.
blindly trust politicians, they shit on you. Never fails. They are politicians. When there is smoke, there is always fire. Sometimes they hide the flames or try to, but there is always fire.
I am still following the Siegalman case. We have to also remember that the Rove appointed Attorney General who replaced the one that wouldn't prosecute bogus charges of voter fraud.
I still say we need to give everyone running for a government position a lie detector test, not only to tell if they are honest but also to see if they believe in their party’s supposed ethics.
And maybe a drug test too!
I remember as a boy wishing I could be tied up by Wonder Woman in her lie detecting rope.
she would have takin you home or slapped you silly!
Too late.
In the Watchmen story, coming out as a movie in March unless Fox stops it, there's a bit about a SuperVillian that only committed crimes so that he could be beat up by a hero.
Casual drug use would probably make a better politician.
What if they test positive for lafingas?
I would vote for them!
until proven guilty" when viewing this.
As someone who's done time (and been guilty of lots of things), being charged and convicted of things I've actually done matters. I think everyone who has "gotten away with something" should be able to relate.
that isn't the case when it's a Rep that's caught. Why? Are they always guilty and Dems not?
lately. My bigger problems are with the ones (currently, mostly Reps) that are not charged.
EVERYBODY agrees. Seems a politician can do whatever they want, whenever they want with absolutely no chance of retribution for their actions. Sad.
How about Paris Hilton
Or even Juarez Best Western?
Richardson should not have accepted Obama's offer in the first place. Being governor of a state is a much better job than being secretary of commerce, imho.
Former President Bush touts son Jeb for top job
When asked if he was serious, he said: "Or maybe senator. Whatever. Yes, I would. I mean, right now is probably a bad time, because we've had enough Bushes in there. But no, I would."
----
Whatever?? Clearly, keeping one of them in high elected office is critical to the legacy. Priorities, priorities...
770 KKOB to make sure the next gov will be republican.
I never felt CommSec was the best use for Richardson, nor did I ever think he was that enthusiastic about it... especially with the monumental task facing the next CS.
If I predict anything, Bill will be cleared and four years from now, after repeated battles with a Secretary of State that repeatedly contradicts President Obama in public, Hillary will be out and replaced with Bill in 2012.
Oddly or not, it's being spun in New Mexico as a "postponement" of Richardson's admittance into the Obama administration. Read this: http://tinyurl.com/9fjnvf
Is it too early to take bets on the number of high-level, Democratic officials who will be under investigation by a Special Prosecutor, the FBI, or some Congressional committee during Obama's first term?
I consider this among the first shots across Obama's bow, if only to let him know who's really boss.
No matter that the entire Federal investigative establishment was asleep during the past eight years of Bush and Republican control. Things are going to be different now.
through the nominating procedure (Congressional approval), if they don't continue to self-implode. Actually, I much prefer the current self-excusing actions; I expect that they know they'll be under at least as much scrutiny as bushco nominees. And there are plenty of qualified people still out there.
"I consider this among the first shots across Obama's bow, if only to let him know who's really boss."
--an accepted offer he (richardson) had to decline?
So who made the offer to Richardson to decline?
'moral' outrage and pushes the molehills into mountains. or enables the massive hypocrisy and denial with a bandwagon full of rationalization and excuses for anything republican. the corporate media are always eager to jump on because their owners are on the same side.
Now there's a fictitious "pile" out there that people can throw "one more on", like with Clinton's fictitious crimes. Now 80% of the activist left will fall for the BS while Obama saves the country, just like Clinton.
It will be in your best interest to count your fingers after you shake hands with Richardson. He loves to masquerade as a leader of the people who really cares about his voters. Their is only one thing Bill cares about, and that is Bill. If their are more than two people walking in the same direction, Richardson will get in front of them with a big bass drum, and act like he's leading a parade, any issue will do. He wants to protect his citizens from those millions of drunks on the road, So in the endeavor to "keep us safe", he orders a DUI check point set up, just to catch those bad ol drunks at any cost. The NM state police then ran a check point for twelve hours, at who knows what cost of man power and money, in the middle of the freeway between Abq and Santa Fe. Forget the hour and a half delay with traffic backed up for miles at this " safety check point" on a weekend, forget the danger of bringing high speed traffic to a stop(in darkness) we were kept safe...kept safe from the TWO "suspected" DUIs, kept safe from the one person who was found to have a bit of pot in his ashtray, and most of all kept safe from some 1300 "criminals" who had not had their seat-belts fastened or insurance cards with them or some other big time criminal act. Bill rides the war wagon, war on drugs,war on drunk drivers. Spare me your fake concern for our safety and call it what it really is ,a fund raiser, fucking weasel. CEO,citizens,eyes,open
I'm reminded of Nannygate.
My vote for this position was and remains Michigan Gov Jennifer Granholm. She's smart, experienced and lame duck. She also has what appears to be a good working relationship with PE Obama.
Krugman has already stated that he does not want a cabinet position... says he prefers to work outside the system.
As for Richardson, too bad. I like him.
All this over a paltry $1.5 mil contract?
We have no answers about the billions that went missing in Iraq, & Ghouliani gave away contracts that make that look like chicken feed on the backs of the 9/11 rescue workers, giving non compete bids to crony clean up crews & recycling all the steel at Ground Zero. Do you see him in front of a grand jury?
How about that fiend Cheney, whose Halliburton stock went up 5000% in 07? When are we going to get some priorities?!
Of course you have to expect fire sales on 2008/2009 scandals. esp. if dems are involved.
No Penny Pritzker either? I would have enjoyed a CS with the name of "penny" during these economic times. apropos.
I was never as wild about Bill R as some other dems. And now that someone posted the roamin' hands story here, ew...ew.
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