They DID vet Kerik and said it was all good
White Houseknew Kerik had ‘colorful past’
Official says conduct was seen as ‘not disqualifying’
NBC News and news services
Updated: 2:07 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2004
WASHINGTON - Bush administration lawyers who vetted former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik before President Bush named him to head the Homeland Security Department knew he had a “colorful past” but concluded that his long record of public service would outweigh questions about his conduct, a senior U.S. official told NBC News on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the lawyers were aware that Kerik had been questioned in a civil lawsuit involving questions about an alleged extramarital affair with a corrections employee; the failure to properly report financial gifts on disclosure forms; and an arrest warrant issued after he failed to pay condo fees.
“The lawyers looked at all these issues,” said the official. "We believed they were not disqualifying."
