The Obama administration’s top pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration, Erroll Southers, withdrew his name from consideration today amid a storm of controversy.
In a statement released by the White House, Southers, a former FBI special agent and former deputy director of the California Office of Homeland Security, said his nomination had become “a lightning rod for those who have chosen to push a political agenda at the risk of the safety and security of the American people.”
Southers, whose current role is associate director of educational programs at the U.S. homeland security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, was being heralded as a strong candidate in a time of uncertainty, particularly following a security breach that led to the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day.
Republican opposition to Southers’ appointment escalated over the past several weeks, based on news that the nominee had given misleading information to Congress and the White House about inappropriate use of a federal database more than 20 years ago.
The incidents took place in 1987 and 1988 in which Southers accessed a federal database to run a background check on his estranged wife’s new boyfriend.
In October, Southers stated that he had asked a San Diego police employee to run a check. He later admitted to having conducted two database searches himself, blaming faulty recollection for the discrepancy.
According to the White House, officials weren’t made aware of the discrepancies in Southers’ account until November when the nomination process was well under way.
Get the full backstory: Why The Transportation Security Administration Has No Administrator.
Earlier, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), stalled the nomination because of concerns that Southers would allow the TSA screeners to unionize.
Democrats in the Senate had intended to vote to override the block this month, but Southers’ resignation has trumped that plan.
By Sarika Chawla for PeterGreenberg.com.
Sources: Washington Post, New York Times, Washington Post Voices
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