Sebelius Pays Back Thousands in Taxes

More tax troubles for yet another Obama nominee: Health and human services appointee Kathleen Sebelius said today that she and he husband have paid $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest after discovering “unintentional errors” in their 2005-07 tax returns. In a letter to Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley, the Kansas governor said her accountant found “insufficient documentation” for several charitable donations and business expenses. Sebelius also said she mistakenly deducted interest on her home’s mortgage. The president’s first pick for health and human services secretary, Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration after news broke that he owed $140,000 in back taxes. Embattled Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner also faced criticism for owing more than $30,000 in taxes, and a nominee for chief performance officer, Nancy Killefer, withdrew her name from consideration for the post after getting into tax troubles of her own.