KERIK WAS A SHOO-IN
By IAN BISHOP and DAN MANGAN
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December 13, 2004 -- Senate Democrats weren't planning to quash the appointment of Bernard Kerik to the top spot at Homeland Security — they were saving their fight for Bush nominations to the Supreme Court, knowledgeable sources said yesterday.
The president will likely get the chance to appoint two people to fill vacant top-court seats in the next few years, which would have been a more crucial battle, said a senior Democratic aide.
"Politics is all about picking your spots," the source said.
Kerik's bid to head Homeland Security unraveled amid reports he had hired a Mexican nanny who may have been here illegally and failed to pay taxes on her salary.
But even before Nannygate became public Friday, Democratic researchers were combing through the former New York City police commissioner's business records — and probing his curious personal relationships.
Although not set to block him, Dems wanted to pound Kerik for the $6 million he made from a stock sale of a company that sold stun guns to the government.
They also wanted to make Kerik squirm over his personal relationship with his book publisher, Judith Regan.
News reports claim that as commissioner, Kerik dispatched a handful of New York City homicide cops to track down several small items that Regan believed had been stolen.
Newsweek is reporting that Kerik then reportedly hounded Regan so doggedly after their friendship soured that she hired a bodyguard.
Kerik's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, who also has represented Regan in the past, yesterday denied that Kerik "hounded" her.
He also said Kerik is "distraught . . . absolutely distraught" about "any embarrassment that he caused the president or [Rudy Giuliani]" by his handling of the nanny situation.
"He [Kerik] also is distraught about a missed opportunity, because he really believes, and everybody else around him believes, that he would have made a difference in Homeland Security," Tacopina said.
Giuliani attended a Christmas gala last night in Washington and hoped to personally apologize to President Bush for the Kerik situation, said the former mayor's spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel.
"He spoke to the president and the president was gracious," she said.
Kerik remained holed up in his Franklin Lakes, N.J., home yesterday, leaving only for a brief walk. He refused to answer reporters' questions.
Additional reporting by Matthew Sweeney and Erin Calabrese
nypost.com |
