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Monday, February 1, 2010 | Last Update 6:30 EST

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OPINION
Sen. Enzi condemns allegedly untruthful
labor nominee, will Minority Leader
McConnell back him up?
[Print]  [Email]         As noted earlier, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., is
alleging -- backed up by pretty credible
evidence -- that Obama's nominee for
Obama nominee may have lied to Congress, but she may Solicitor of Labor, Patricia Smith, lied to the
Senate...
slip through on Monday before Scott Brown is seated —Mark Hemingway
By: DAVID FREDDOSO
Online Opinion Editor New York Times budget graphic explains it
01/30/10 1:07 PM EST all
If you really want to understand what
President Obama's budget will do, have a
Patricia Smith, President Obama's nominee for Solicitor of Labor, appears to have lied to
look at this excellent graphic representation
Congress, according to e-mails released from during her tenure as Commissioner of the on The New York Times website. You can
mouse over...
New York State Labor Department. As Daniel Halper explains over at The Weekly —David Freddoso
Standard, 
Obama's spokesman finds new ways to
play same old Washington budget games
Smith has lied about her involvement with the Wage and Hour Watch program -- five
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, on
times telling senators that she had no intention to expand the program to the entire President Obama's budget: “We have to
return to some very common-sense
state (leaving it localized in New York City), but later emails and other documents principles that every day Americans live by.
revealed that she did indeed plan to expand the program throughout the entire state Every time...
—David Freddoso
of New York.
Out of Context: Samuel Alito's Kanye West
Senate Labor ranking member Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., has asked that Smith's nomination be moment
Given how much hay has been made of
withdrawn.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's eyeroll
at President Obama's State of the Union
Halper's post reproduces two memos on Smith that Republicans are circulating on Capitol criticism of their decision in Citizens United
Hill.  The Wage Watch program was an effort to deputize unions to detect illegal  v....
—J.P. Freire
employment practices -- for example, by confronting and interviewing employees as they
More Beltway Confidential posts...
leave work, or even while they are on the job.

Beyond the issue of the expansion of Wage Watch, Smith also appears to have misled
Congress as regards the involvement of outside labor groups in developing the program.
She had been asked about this during her confirmation hearing by Sen. Richard Burr, R-
N.C.:

Senator Burr. But you reached out to individuals and groups to help craft the
specifics of----
Ms. Smith. Actually, no, Senator, we did not. This was an internally crafted group. It
was only after we sat down and crafted it ourselves that we reached out to groups
to see if they would be interested.

But the e-mails obtained through New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) suggest
otherwise. Outside groups were being consulted as early as April 2008, and played a key
role in developing the program. Smith herself was copied on e-mails discussing the
program with these groups as early as November 2008. The program was announced
To view this site, you need to have Flash
publicly in January 2009, and Enzi's memo contends that the businesses affected weren't Player 8.0 or later installed. Click here to get
the latest Flash player.
even allowed a meeting with Smith until March.

Smith's actions with respect to this program seem to show she has a heavy bias toward
labor and against business -- no big surprise, perhaps, considering who is appointing Glenn Reynolds: More impact is what's next for the
Tea Party movement
her. But why she would mislead or even directly lie to Congress about any of this is a bit
Obama nominee may have lied to Congress, but
odd. Even when given the opportunity to revise her testimony in written questions, she may slip through on Monday before Scott
Smith stuck to a story that does not seem consistent with the paper-trail. Brown is seated
Democrats fall as fast as Nixon Republicans in
On Monday, Smith will get a cloture vote in the Senate. With Scott Brown waiting at least 1974
 NYT: John McCain is the 'unpatriotic opposition'
another week to be seated in the Senate, there is a chance her nomination will slide right
Generic ballot polls suggest possible epic party
through. disaster for Dems
Democratic split could stall Obama’s plans
Maybe carbon dioxide is not the only factor affecting
weather and climate
More from David Freddoso Has Obama become bored with being president?
l New York Times budget graphic explains Obama speaks boldly but carries a small stick
it all
l Obama's spokesman finds new ways to Hugh Hewitt: Communicating conservative values
play same old Washington budget games with clarity, brevity, energy and good humor
l Crist's candidacy dying on the vine?
l Polls: People still like Obama, they just
don't believe him
l SOTU put a spotlight on divisions among
Dems

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Reader Comments
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TeaPartyPatriot
Jan 30, 2010
Anybody wanna bet that she is probable also a TAX CHEAT, as well as a LIAR? I must admit, of
course, that she'll fit right-in with the corrupt hussein-pelosi regime.
 
realitytrader
Jan 30, 2010
Was she sworn in before her confirmation testimony? Did she perjure herself before a Senate
committee?
 
ggordon
Jan 30, 2010

These people would be rejected by the Boy Scout or Girl Scout boards, soccer league boards, almost
anything. Feds - this administration could care less about honesty. Obvious too, is that the fish rots
from the head down.
 
rangerrebew
Jan 30, 2010
She should be considered for a possible VP running mate for Ali Bama unless someone can dig up
better dirt on Yusef bin Biden. She has everything she needs to be a big commiecrat leader -
corrupt.
 
Two Elks
Jan 30, 2010
Since when did a bit of perjury matter to this administration? Another possible tax cheat, Commie,
whatever. No matter. After Van Jones I thought it couldn't get any worse..I was wrong !
 
yehudit@keshertalk.com
Jan 30, 2010
The only reason it would slide through if Brown is not there, but would be stopped if Brown is there,
would be if Paul Kirk got to cast a 60th vote.

HIS TERM ENDED JANUARY 20. According to both the

Constitution and the State of Massachusetts.

HE HAS ALREADY VOTED ON SEVERAL BILLS ILLEGALLY.

WHY ARE THE GOP ALLOWING THIS??

The Dems legally only have 59 votes at this point. They dont have 60.
 
RDG
Feb 1, 2010
The question is not whether another corruptocrat commie is in front of a corrupt Congress. The
question is what kind of a nation would elect these people. Indeed, "America's chickens are coming
home to roost." (credit to that prescient preacher Rev. Wright.)
 
sell
Feb 1, 2010
put this article right next to the national debt article.

Do we really need a "Solicitor of Labor"???? What's her office budget-- how many staff members---
how many assistant to the assistant to the assistant positions will the taxpayer have to pay for?

We need a bare bones government!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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