Tim Geithner is now officially Obama’s Secretary of Treasury.
New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner won confirmation Monday as President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary despite personal tax lapses that turned more than a third of the Senate against him.
The 60-34 vote put Geithner at the helm of Obama’s economic team as it races to halt the worst financial slide in generations.
In swift order reflecting the urgency, Obama attended Geithner’s swearing in Monday evening at the Treasury Department. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Geithner has made amends — he has paid the taxes and penalties — and possesses the talent needed to steer the nation out of the crisis.
While less sure that Geithner’s transgressions were an “innocent mistake” than I was when the news came to light, it never occurred to me that he wouldn’t or shouldn’t be confirmed. Indeed, had anyone suggested a few weeks ago that fully a third of the Senate would vote against him, it would have seemed absurd.
That leaves Attorney General-designate Eric Holder as the only senior level appointment whose confirmation is even slightly in doubt. Barring the coming to light of startling new evidence, though, he’ll pass muster, too.
