Kerik's Spotty Record
December 10, 2004Bernard Kerik, President Bush's nominee to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security, is receiving heightened scrutiny as nomination hearings approach. Kerik's record raises serious question about his motives, ethics, and his capacity to adequately protect America. Kerik has many questions to answer about conflict of interests, poor track record, and willingness to use his public credentials for personal and political gain. * Kerik's relationship to a stun gun manufacture presents a serious conflict of interest. Kerik has made $6.2 million dollars in profits from his relationship with Taser International, an Arizona-based manufacturer of stun guns. Kerik was appointed as a director of the company immediately after he pushed the NYPD to purchase its guns as police chief. Since 2002, Kerik has hawked Taser's products to police departments around the country. Recently the company has made strong efforts to get government business, most notably from the Department of Homeland Security.
* Kerik abandoned a critical post in Iraq to go on vacation. Appointed by President Bush to train a new Iraqi police force in 2003, "Kerik came under criticism for inadequate screening of recruits as U.S. authorities rushed to deploy the force. It has been plagued by desertions and by allegations that insurgents have infiltrated the ranks," according to the Washington Post. Worse, Kerik "quit four months into his six-month tenure in Iraq, telling New York reporters later that he needed a vacation."
* Kerik used his New York Police Department credentials to shill for pharmaceutical interests. In April, the Washington Post reported that Kerik opened a high-priced consulting firm to sell his New York City police credentials to wealthy corporate bidders. The firm was promptly hired by the pharmaceutical industry's chief lobbying group to build opposition to letting American seniors purchase lower-priced, FDA-approved medicines from Canada.
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http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=100480
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