Thursday, November 8, 2007

A KERIC-AL ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

A federal grand jury has voted to indict former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on charges stemming from the acceptance of free rent and apartment renovations, tax evasion and lying on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security, two federal sources and a source involved. The government is also expected to charge that Kerik lied on a mortgage application and on his application for the job as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Kerik's reputation took on heroic proportions in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Side by side with "America's Mayor" Rudolph Giuliani, Kerik was seen as part of the glue that held the city together and soon, owing to the support of Giuliani and a bond he had developed with President George Bush, Kerik was nominated to be "America's Police Commissioner" -- the head of the Department of Homeland Security. in the defense told ABC News.
Kerik's fall from grace began on Dec. 3, 2004, the same day that the president announced his appointment. "Bernie Kerik is one of the most accomplished and effective leaders of law enforcement in America. In his career, he has served as an enlisted military police officer in Korea, a jail warden in New Jersey, a beat cop in Manhattan, New York City corrections commissioner, and as New York's 40th police commissioner -- an office once held by Teddy Roosevelt. In every position, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to justice, a heart for the innocent, and a record of great success," President Bush said.
But by late that same evening, a swirl of allegations of misconduct began to surface. They included the employment of an undocumented immigrant as a nanny and the acceptance of what amounted to large gratuities, according to ABC News accounts at the time and other published reports. Soon Kerik was the subject of a criminal investigation by a New York prosecutor. And within about 18 months after his nomination for the job as head of Homeland Security, on June 30, 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting more than $165,000 in gifts while a city official and failing to report the money as required. He paid more than $200,000 in fines and was spared any jail time.

1 comment:

Mark said...

Kimba,Catching up on your blog.
Your right, a true genius is a person who gets it faster than the rest.
Hillary and Obama ticket will be great. It's going to take 16 years to fix the bullshit going on. Let it roll.