Newsweek
Updated: 12:49 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2004Dec. 11 - It's hard to know what
was the last straw. Ever since President Bush announced on Dec. 3
that Bernard Kerik was his choice to replace Tom Ridge as Secretary
of Homeland Security, official circles in Washington and New York
have been buzzing with stories about Kerik's potential liabilities.
A hard-charging former New York City police commissioner, Kerik made
many enemies and seemed to be dogged by minor scandals. He was a
rags-to-riches story whose climb may have been a little too
precipitous; in any case, his tangled personal life caught up with
him.
On Friday night, Kerik abruptly informed the White House that we was
withdrawing from the nominating process, citing potential problems
with the immigration and tax status of a former nanny. "I am
convinced that, for personal reasons, moving forward would not be in
the best interests of your administration, the Department of
Homeland Security or the American people," Kerik said in a letter to
President Bush.
But there may have been other issues at play. Kerik, who recently
made millions in the private sector, once filed for personal
bankruptcy as a New York cop. And just five years ago he was in
financial trouble over a condominium he owned in New Jersey. More
serious trouble than anyone realized: NEWSWEEK has discovered that a
New Jersey judge in 1998 had issued an arrest warrant as part of a
convoluted series of lawsuits relating to unpaid bills on his condo.
The magazine faxed documents, including the arrest warrant, over to
the White House around 6:00 p.m. Friday, asking for comment. Neither
Kerik nor the White House had any immediate response. At 8:30 p.m.,
Kerik had submitted his letter to the president.