Dramatic tapes of Hilda Solis-White House emergency radio chatter

In an amazing news coincidence, on the very same day as the US Air Flight 1549 emergency radio tapes were released, The Ticket has exclusively obtained the tapes of recent emergency radio conversations between ground traffic controllers with the Obama administration's White House and Rep. Hilda Solis.

She's the California House member and secretary of Labor-designate whose confirmation is before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Hers is the latest Obama Cabinet nomination in trouble over tax issues. Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer have already gone under the bus.

The dramatic tape excerpts tell a compelling story of confused but calm determination and political professionalism during the sudden tax emergency and unexpected descent this week. Here are the exchanges between Solis and the White House:

HS: We had a problem on takeoff. Flew into a flock of liens.

WH: Of what?

HS: Liens. Tax liens. My husband has more than 6,000 in unpaid business taxes.

WH: That's a lot of faxes!

HS: No, not faxes. Taxes. You know, like money. That regular people pay to government.

WH: We've heard of that.

HS: It was an accident. An unintentional oversight.

WH: We've heard of that too.

HS: For about 16 years.

WH: Oh.

HS: Yes.

WH: How long have you been in public office?

HS: For about 16 years.

WH: Oh.

HS: What should we do?

WH: Well, you could pay the taxes.

HS: OK. OK. Hadn't thought of that. I suppose we could.

But won't it look funny to not pay 15 tax liens over 16 years? And then suddenly the day before the committee's scheduled vote we pay them? What if USA Today goes poking around?

WH: They wouldn't do that. The newspapers are all wrapped up in Sunday's Pro Bowl.

HS: OK, we'll pay the taxes Wednesday and say we're gonna appeal them.

WH: Good. Then Thursday we'll have the press secretary say that your own taxes are just fine. They are, aren't they? And no decent American would want to penalize a hard-working wife for her husband's mistakes. It worked for what's-her-name up in New York.

HS: But I'm worried about Thursday's vote.

WH: We'll get the unions to turn up the heat on committee members. We've got the majority. We'll be fine.

HS: OK, good.

WH: We'll be OK as long as there's no last-minute postponement of the vote.

HS: What about a boat?

WH: You'll need one if you go in the river.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[tommie lee]

Ah, typical talks among hypocrites....after the Bush plutocratic thieves had stolen the money from the hard working common men, the jealous Obama bureaucratic hypocritical tax cheaters moved in to steal some more from the hard working common men -- more taxes in the name of social good, while cheating on paying the taxes themselves. It’s easy for these new Obama hypocrites to get the hard working men to pay for the costs because these new hypocritical bureaucrats don’t have to – They cheat! Listening to the high oratory lines by Senator Daschle on the senate floor about saving the world with his holier than thou preaching and reading about his “honest mistake” of overlooking to his $125,000,00 (one hundred twenty five thousand dollars) in taxes is nauseating (using Monsieur’s Sartre’s parlance). Four out of ? ten Obama nominees are tax cheaters in a government built on “ethics.” What ethics?

[sam rice]

dont the democrats know taxes must be paid? unpaid 16 years? top treasury guy got away with it.OMG ! what's obama thinking? is he the only guy that can do the job? i and a lot of friends don't think so! we are disappointed MR President. so far five of your nominations have excess baggage. not impressed at all of your actions.

[realityczech]

More drivel -- in this instance, made-up drivel -- from Andrew Malcolm, "press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000."

Imagine having that on your resume. If that's not enough to make you laugh, imagine highlighting it in your bio.

Loser.

[rick roll]

How dare you question the judgement of the Messiah?

[Bob]

This is very similar to all Obama appointments, they are all on shaky ground. But what do you expect of someone coming out of the Cook County Illinois framework of the most corrupt county and state in the U.S. his appointed chief of staff is out of the same mold. The people who voted for Obama are going to find that he is not the squeaky clean person they were led to believe.

[Timothy L. Pennell]

Doesn't this BOTHER anyone, out there? We're all supposed to be PATRIOTIC? Isn't that what jackass told us? "Be Patriotic. PAY MORE TAXES. Get some SKIN in the game". Yet, here we go again.
Which PARTY wets it's pants over the idea of RAISING TAXES? Which PARTY HATES TAX CUTS? Which PARTY, apparently, doesn't PAY IT'S TAXES?
Charlie Rangel. It looks like he's been DORKING Uncle Sam, for 30 YEARS. DASCHLE. Let's hope the IRS takes his advice, and puts the hammer down on his THIEVING arse. Geithner.-(Don't you just want to smack that puke, little smarmey grin off his face?)-That other stupid BROAD. And now this HIPOCRYTE, stupid BROAD.
EVERY ONE of these DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS should be AUDITED. ALL of them! When are the IDIOTS, that keep voting for these DIRTBAGS gonna LEARN? You're NOTHING to them. You're just a means to an end to these creatures. They impose their will on you, while THEY ignore every rule that they put on you. WAKE UP!

[pitbullstew]

its the stupid tax code stupid!....wait ans ee the guy had a dispute of less than say. oh i dunno a thousand dollars and the IRS is pounding penalties on top of penalties, what is the princip[al amoutn, not the levies and fees? Dont you get it? The IRS and the TAX Code are the real criminals in the uS right now....

[plankbob]

Malcolm is about as funny as a crutch for a broken leg.

[alos]

Pretty funny, if you're a crotchety old man.

[eco delsol]

totally unfunny sarcasm. quit wasting readers time with garbage reports such as this.

[AnotherScammer]

I just don't understand why her husband's garage business is not UNIONIZED???? Can a union rep PLEASE visit his business and correct this oversight? Of course, I do understand how they missed what were probably dozens of tax notices over the course of 16 years. Right.

[Incognita Bullfinch]

Lame

[austin]

Wow, great detective work USA Today and LA Times! I'm sorry but are we really talking about 6 grand that this woman's spouse owes from 16 years ago? Where was this technical and probing investigative journalism WHEN WE INVADED FRIGGEN IRAQ!!?!?!?!?!

If we covered empire building and ACTUAL political corruption committed WHILE IN OFFICE with the same level of attention we give tax deliquency and celebrity boob jobs, we wouldn't be in a recession.

[Will Cloud]

I think a lot of people can't tell the difference between real news and this fabricated junk story. You betray the same kind of crassness you are trying to depict.

[David]

My, my and another scumbag gets caught. Are all libtards corrupt?

[Wood Rich]

This piece is not funny.

[JCinNYC]

As much as I wouldn't doubt this conversation could happen, I know it's not true. And, frankly, is extremely clever. Kudos to the person who wrote it, from a NYC Conservative...something you don't find too many of.

[CA]

Instead of getting mad at Republicans, who are not to blame, why not ask Mrs. Solis why it was OK that her husband did not pay the taxes on their business? Republicans did not prevent Solis from paying the correct taxes for 16 years. This was Mr. & Mrs. Solis' choice. And, their taxes did not get paid until the DAY BEFORE her hearings. That just looks bad. C'mon you guys...you know this is wrong. If she was a Republican you'd be all over it. And, you'd be right. Let's just get someone in there who at least goes in clean. This is better for all of us. And, by the way, those of you who voted for Obama should be more than a little upset with these cabinet appointments. The administration's vetting process has been horrific so far. When President Bush nominated Harriet Myers for the Supreme Court most Republicans were upset because they did not feel Ms. Myers was qualified for the position. And, they let the President know. This included the Republican voters, elected officials, and talk radio personalities. Everyone balked at the choice. As a result, the nomination was withdrawn. Same thing here folks. We can't have people in top levels of government who don't see fit to pay their taxes until they are "nominated for a cabinet post". These choices reflect all of us.

[Vernon]

Pure tripe, Andy!
L A Times just layed off another 300 and they kept you? Why?

As the Los Angeles Times reported on Feb 6th,

Anthony Yakimowich, chief deputy treasurer and tax collector for Los Angeles County, said Thursday that Sayyad "has paid everything he owes us."

Yakimowich said liens are not necessarily an indication that a business or an individual is trying to avoid paying taxes. Businesses can run into financial difficulties, and honest disputes can arise, he said.

http://tinyurl.com/al9nqr