Miers’s Integrity In Question
Miers’s Integrity In Question
When President Bush announced the nomination of Harriet Miers on October 3, he called her “a leader of unquestioned integrity.†Much of what we’ve learned since then hasn’t supported Bush’s claim. To review:
- Miers was suspended from the DC bar for non-payment of dues.
- Miers was suspended from the Texas bar for non-payment of dues.
- Miers repeatedly had tax liens placed on property she owned in Texas for non-payment of fines and fees.
- Miers received 10 times the market value for a small piece of land she controlled from the state of Texas, awarded by a panel stacked with friends and allies. A mediator ordered Miers to repay $26,000 but she has failed to do so.
These incidents take on added significant because – since Miers doesn’t have any judicial experience – Bush is selling Miers’s nomination to the court, in large part, on her “character.â€
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Her character background sounds a lot like Bush’s. No wonder she thinks he’s so “brilliant”. She’s probably never known an honest man in her life.
October 23rd, 2005 at 9:43 amshe probably gyps waiters and waitresses on their tips, takes money OUT OF the church collection plate and uses Canadian quarters at toll booths… seriously, is she cheap or just really forgetful?
October 23rd, 2005 at 9:49 amBut she always cleans her feathers.
October 23rd, 2005 at 9:57 amI’d like to check out the real estate deal a little more. Sounds too much like the Bush/Rangers thing to me. That is, it stinks.
What’d they get in return for the deal? Nothing?
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:14 amThe only reason Bush floated the red-herring in the form of Harriet Miers was on the outside chance that she would get the seat (He thought he could sell her to his religious wingnuts because of her born-again status,despite her unqualified status), and she would be crucial to Bush should he end up having to defend himself and his administration in a future court.
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:19 amSome questions about her past are surfacing, and her nomination more in doubt every week, so we should be looking at who the Bushies will eventually nominate and who will “win” the seat, because his second choice is bound to be more problematic for America and civil liberties.
Liens for failing to clear brush! THAT’S rich!
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:20 amon the plus side she’s a good bowler, that alone should be enough to get on the SCOUS.
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:40 amShe was a red herring, yes, one laid out on the altar as a sacrificial offering. Either she might sneak onto the court, or if the Dems pulled out all the stops to stop her, her nomination would make their resistance to the REAL nominee appear obstructionist.
October 23rd, 2005 at 10:59 amMarkC, I have been kicking the term Red Herring around for a few weeks now in wondering just what the f*^k the Pres was doing nominating this woman. I’ve since concluded, though, that he’s just an idiot and he’s surrounded by idiots who let him do stupid things.
For those of you who haven’t seen this, it’s pretty brilliant:
http://harrietmiers.blogspot.com/
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:07 am#9, that web site has gotten even funnier as time goes on!!
October 23rd, 2005 at 11:46 amI fear dear Harriet has more chance of getting a seat on the next space shuttle than on the bench.
October 23rd, 2005 at 12:25 pmMaybe a fifth ? Check out the Dallas County appraiser’s record (http://www.dallascad.org/SearchOwner.aspx) and see if Miers has properly removed herself from the homestead exemption. A search of name “Miers” shows her private residence, tennis court and all. Records show her taking a 100% homestead exemption for all these years, even though I know she hasn’t lived in her home there for …. how long? She does live in Washington, doesn’t she? Look at the rules on the “print homestead exemption” form. With no state taxes, in Texas this exemption adds up to some bucks.
October 23rd, 2005 at 1:34 pmBush has effectively turned the U.S. into a Republic of Texas with it’s approach to the environment, corruption and now the courts, evidence Harriet Miers. The public square is made up of cronies who although may not break the law twist it to benefit there friends. To them democracy is an empty word what they really feel more comfortable in is an autocracy. Let’s send
October 23rd, 2005 at 1:41 pmthem back to Texas!
I don’t particularly like Miers but who really cares about non-payment of bar dues? She forgot to pay a bill, so what? I forgot to renew my driver’s license because I was busy having a baby, does that make me unfit to be transportation secretary? The land scandal is much more troubling then whether or not Miers’ assistant mailed in a check on time.
October 23rd, 2005 at 5:04 pmI doubt that “[a] mediators ordered Miers to repay” anything. A mediator can “rule” on an issue, but the process is seldom binding on the parties. Usually a mediator’s decision can be taken to arbitration, which often is binding on the parties.
The Miers nomination has enough questions attached to it. All the more reason to keep the focus on the real issues – experience and ability.
October 23rd, 2005 at 5:11 pm“Obsequious Instrument”
October 23rd, 2005 at 6:52 pm“Obsequious Instrument”
bad link above – my bad
October 23rd, 2005 at 6:54 pmFrom Eyewitness Muse. Sing to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Funny indeed.
On my 12th day of Supco, my governor gave to me…
Judge Bork objecting,
October 23rd, 2005 at 7:13 pmArlen Spector pecking,
Gary Bauer bitching
Trent Lott a leaping,
George Will a wailing,
Sam Brownback sulking,
Lindsey Graham grumbling
Rush Lim-baugh’s pissed!
Peggy Noonan’s nah,
David Frum’s harrumph
Bill Kristol’s hiss, and
Ann Coulter slandering me.
Here’s a direct link to the Homestead Exemption History for Miers’ Dallas residence, It certainly does look like she has been claiming the exemption each year. per the rules for the general Homestead Exemption (the only one she could be eligible for as a never-married women under age 65) I can only assume that she makes sure she flies down there every New Year’s Day as that is the only day during the year she is required to “reside there” to obtain the exemption.
Here is the full text for that section of the form guidance:
To qualify, the property must be designed or adapted for human residence and the homeowner must own the property on January 1 of the year application is made. The person claiming the exemption must reside at the property on January 1 and cannot claim a homestead exemption on any other property. If more than one individual (not a married couple) owns the property, each separate individual must make application if they reside at the property. Exemptions are allocated according to percent of ownership interest the applicant has in the property. The exemption application must be completed, notarized and include a driver’s license or social security number and date-of-birth. “
If she has been claiming the exemption without qualifying, the main concern to me wouldn’t be that she was cheating on her taxes, it would be that she was committing perjury by signing a false legal document.
October 23rd, 2005 at 7:14 pmDemocrats don’t have to pull out all the stops to stop Miers, Republicans are doing that for us. It doesn’t look like Democrats will even have to come out against her before the nomination is withdrawn, so there is still plenty of ammunition left for the next nominee. I don’t think it was a red herring, Bush just tried to nominate an incompetent crony like he has done dozens of times and his popularity has dropped too low to get away with it this time. The national disaster that is Michael Brown didn’t help his credibility either.
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:11 pmI was reposting my comment about the Homestead Exemption on Miers Dallas home on my own blog, and it occurred to me this is Standard Opperating Procedure for the Bushies. All through his 12 years in DC George H. W. Bush claimed to still be a resident of TX and thus avoided paying District Income Tax to local Dc government (I think W does the same thing). I would suspect that if Miers is claiming to be a resident of the Dallas home to save on taxes on that home – that she would also be claiming to be a “resident” of that home for her local income taxes and thus not having to pay state or district Income taxes since TX doesn’t impose one.
(a humorous side note: one of the lesser Enron/Tyco/Adelphia-type corporate accounting scandals involved the Irish pharmaceutical firm ELAN, I notice Miers spells her middle name “Ellan” – obviously just a coincidence – right?)
October 23rd, 2005 at 8:29 pmWasn’t that Dallas property a toxic waste dump as well?
October 23rd, 2005 at 9:10 pmOh, I see, it was downwind from an old lead smelter.
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October 24th, 2005 at 5:54 am.
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.See http://TheFuturum.com – you can send message to eternity there.
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Yeah, that seems to me to be good ole GOP integrity. What is wrong with stealing and refusing payment? She will fit in nice with Delay, Abramoff, Cunningham, Arnold and Frist!
October 24th, 2005 at 9:58 amI can’t believe Bush’s political advisors didn’t foresee this train wreck. Rove is so busy with his own future it seems no one is looking out for Bush anymore. What’s happening over there?
October 24th, 2005 at 11:19 amI always love it when we get to see the true colors of these moralizing, born again christian types. When you manage to get past the perpetual smile they all seem to share all you see is the putrid underbelly of them. None of them have a moral pot to piss in. None of them care either. It’s all about maintaining the grand facade and procuring taxpayer money for themselves as if they are entitled to it.
October 25th, 2005 at 12:38 amOne other thing about the Miers Dallas County Homestead Exemption: didn’t Thune use this same issue to slime Tom Dashle via news articles, GOPUSA, and National Review Online, among others? It would be interesting to look at Miers DC property info online, if she owns a place. But to search that website requires an address. Anybody know Harry’s address?
October 25th, 2005 at 1:35 pm[...] Update (10-27-2005 9:58): President Bush just stated that he believed Miers would not be confirmed unless senators were given classified information. He failed to mention her suspensions from the bar and her stolen money from Texas, the fact that conservatives are running a $250,000 ad campaign against her, and that even Republican senators found the answers on her written questionaire “insulting“. miersharriet miersscotus [...]
October 27th, 2005 at 10:01 amI THINK THAT BUSH IS HAVING A AFFAIR WITH MILER, IT SOUND LIKE IT BECAUSE HE HIRE HER TO BE JUDGE. THINK ABOUT IT
October 28th, 2005 at 4:15 pmI absolutely agree with post #14 that bringing up Mier’s unpaid bar dues is ridiculous. The vast mountain of damning conservative scandals like the Homestead exemptions is under exposed enough without stupid accusations like the unpaid bar bills being aired out.
October 28th, 2005 at 8:25 pmindoor wall water fountains
November 8th, 2005 at 4:20 pm[...] Think Progress explores this issue. The first three are amusing – but maybe she’s just bad with paperwork. But what’s up with that last one? [...]
May 19th, 2006 at 11:38 amGregory
Bravo! Finally a great blog.
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