First setback for Bush as nominee withdraws

First setback for Bush as nominee withdraws
REUTERS

WASHINGTON, JAN 10: President-elect George W. Bush, suffering the first setback in his transition to the White House, had warm words for cabinet pick Linda Chavez on Tuesday even as she bitterly withdrew from the nomination.

Bush issued a statement on Chavez’s decision to withdraw her name as nominee to head the Labor Department as he flew to Washington for two days of preparation before moving into the White House on January 20.

‘‘Linda is a good person, with a great deal of compassion for people from all walks of life,’’ Bush said. ‘‘Her upbringing and her life’s work prepared her well for the issues facing the Labor Department. I am disappointed that Linda Chavez will not become our nation’s next Secretary of Labor,’’ he said. Chavez, Bush’s adviser on immigration issues during his campaign, had come under fire in recent days for giving housing and money to an illegal alien in the early 1990s. Upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, outside Washington, around 6:30 pm (11.30 GMT), Bush told reporters he was ‘‘saddened’’ that Chavez would not be in his cabinet.

‘‘I absolutely believe she would have been a fine cabinet secretary, but I understand her reluctance to move forward,’’ he said, adding the search for a new nominee would now begin. Bush learnt of Chavez’s decision around 1 pm EST (6 pm GMT) after she met Bush’s Chief of staff, Andrew Card, Vice-President-elect Dick Cheney, and Fred Fielding, who is heading the vetting process for Bush nominees.

Chavez withdrew her bid complaining that ‘‘search and destroy’’ tactics had driven her out. She insisted she had not come under pressure from Bush officials.

But in an interview with CNN, she acknowledged that Bush officials had not been overly supportive. ‘‘I felt they were concerned this was a distraction, it wasn’t that anybody told me that,’’ she said. ‘‘But I’ve also been around this town long enough to know that if no one is calling you and saying ‘Hang in there,’ that is not a great signa either.’’

Chavez’s nomination ran into trouble on Sunday when it was revealed that an illegal alien from Guatemala had lived in her house and performed chores for several years. Democratic Senators and labour groups have criticised Chavez over the relationship with the Guatemalan woman, Marta Mercado, saying it appeared to exploit the woman and violate laws against harbouring and hiring an illegal immigrant.

Bush had expressed his support for Chavez on Monday and his campaign earlier on Tuesday said he stood by his statements. But a Republican source close to the situation said a report in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that the FBI was looking into a conversation Chavez had had with a former neighbour about the case had influenced her decision.

The newspaper said there was concern among investigators that the conversation may have been an attempt by Chavez to influence how the neighbour responded to questions by FBI agents doing a routine background check on the nominee.

Spokesmen for Bush have said Chavez was acting out of compassion when she let Mercado live in her home. They acknowledge the woman performed chores around the house and received what they called spending money from Chavez.On Tuesday evening, Bush told reporters in Washington, ‘‘I appreciate her statement and I wish her and her family all the best. I considered her a friend before and I consider her a friend now.’’

Opposition has also been building to Bush’s nomination of former Sen. John Ashcroft of Missouri as attorney general. He was opposed by a number of civil rights, abortion rights and liberal groups and their allies in Congress.

Bush was due to return to Texas on Thursday. While in the capital, Bush planned to meet Defense Secretary William Cohen and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for military briefings. Bush will make the final move to Washington next week, in time for official inaugural events beginning on January 18.