Now, Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's latest Health nominee, also reports back-tax errors

Maybe having back-tax problems is a new requirement to join the new White House administration. Today, news of more "unintentional errors" on back income taxes for another Barack Obama Cabinet nominee.

The Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that Kansas Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the president's latest nominee to head the giant Health and Human Services Department, has divulged to a Senate committee that she has now paid in excess of $7,000 in back taxes plus $878 interest since her nomination.

Sebelius was actually a replacement Obama nominee for ex-Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, who admitted paying about $140,000 in back taxes and penalties from recent years. Others, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, performance officer Nancy Kelleher and ex-Democratic Rep. and now Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, also had back-tax problems, which were paid up and disclosed after their nominations.

Kelleher, like Daschle, withdrew her name. The others were confirmed anyway.

AP reports Sebelius said her accountant uncovered the mistakes to her benefit while reviewing documents for her and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate, in preparation for Senate hearings including this Thursday before the Finance Committee. The "unintentional errors" involved charitable and mortgage deductions, she said.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[James Mayer]

Anyone with a computer and $40 can purchase turbotax or some variant and slog through their own taxes with a high degree of accuracy. People in the political arena most likely have tax attorneys do their taxes for them. I think the tax people look for loopholes to benefit their customers but the underpayment of $7000 in taxes represents donations of $30000 or more. That would be noticeable on my return.