Good News/Bad News/Sort of Good News
The 109th Congress was so busy the last few months of its term that it never got around to confirming various nominees the President had sent over. Now, with the 110th Congress controlled by the Democrats, several of the more controversial nominees have chosen to withdraw their names from consideration. Three of Bush's nominees to the federal bench did so last week. This week it was Kenneth Tomlinson, currently serving as Chairman of Broadcasting Board of Governors. From yesterday's Sacramento Bee:
The chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts has asked President Bush not to renominate him to the position, a move seen as largely a formality since his pending nomination was already stalled in the Senate and was unlikely to fare any better now that Democrats control the chamber.
Bush nominated Kenneth Y. Tomlinson to another term on the Broadcasting Board of Governors last Nov. 14, after the midterm elections, but that nomination has not been taken up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that oversees the agency.
You may remember Mr. Tomlinson. He was forced out of his job heading Public Broadcasting Corporation. See my posts here (November, 2005) and here (August, 2006) for a fuller treatment of his misbehavior.
And now for the bad news/sort of good news part:
A report by the State Department's inspector general, released Aug. 29, said Tomlinson misused government funds for two years as chairman of the board. Tomlinson disputed the allegations in the report.
The U.S. attorney's office in Washington concluded that a criminal investigation was not warranted, according to the State Department report. At the same time, the report said a civil investigation related to charges that he had hired a friend as a contractor was pending.
Tomlinson signed invoices worth about $245,000 for a friend without the knowledge of other board members or staff, used the board's office resources to support his private horse racing operation and overbilled the organization for his time, according to the report.
While I would have like a criminal charge, apparently the Justice Department didn't have enough to file on. Still, a civil suit to recover the money Mr. Tomlinson allegedly skimmed would be nice.
Things continue to unravel in this administration.
The chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts has asked President Bush not to renominate him to the position, a move seen as largely a formality since his pending nomination was already stalled in the Senate and was unlikely to fare any better now that Democrats control the chamber.
Bush nominated Kenneth Y. Tomlinson to another term on the Broadcasting Board of Governors last Nov. 14, after the midterm elections, but that nomination has not been taken up by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that oversees the agency.
You may remember Mr. Tomlinson. He was forced out of his job heading Public Broadcasting Corporation. See my posts here (November, 2005) and here (August, 2006) for a fuller treatment of his misbehavior.
And now for the bad news/sort of good news part:
A report by the State Department's inspector general, released Aug. 29, said Tomlinson misused government funds for two years as chairman of the board. Tomlinson disputed the allegations in the report.
The U.S. attorney's office in Washington concluded that a criminal investigation was not warranted, according to the State Department report. At the same time, the report said a civil investigation related to charges that he had hired a friend as a contractor was pending.
Tomlinson signed invoices worth about $245,000 for a friend without the knowledge of other board members or staff, used the board's office resources to support his private horse racing operation and overbilled the organization for his time, according to the report.
While I would have like a criminal charge, apparently the Justice Department didn't have enough to file on. Still, a civil suit to recover the money Mr. Tomlinson allegedly skimmed would be nice.
Things continue to unravel in this administration.
Labels: Cronyism, Public Broadcasting Corporation
posted by Diane at 10:03 AM
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