Trump's Budget Director Pick Failed to Pay $15K in Taxes

Rep. Mick Mulvaney apparently didn't know he owed taxes on nanny's income
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 18, 2017 6:02 PM CST
Trump's Budget Director Pick Failed to Pay Taxes on Nanny
Mick Mulvaney, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the White House budget office, failed to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for a household worker more than a decade ago, prompting the Senate’s top Democrat to issue a statement saying the lapse should disqualify his nomination.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Controversy is suddenly swirling around Donald Trump's pick for White House budget director, whose confirmation hearing isn't until next week, after it was revealed he failed to pay more than $15,000 in taxes on a family nanny, the New York Times reports. Rep Mick Mulvaney employed the nanny from 2000 to 2004 after he and his wife had triplets. According to CNN, a Trump transition team spokesperson says Mulvaney didn't know he had to pay taxes on the nanny. The failure to do so was revealed in a questionnaire Mulvaney filled out for the Senate Budget Committee. He says he only realized his mistake during the confirmation process and has since paid the taxes he owes. He also says he will pay any interest or penalties as soon as they're determined.

Similar failures to pay taxes derailed President Obama's pick for Health and Human Services and two of Bill Clinton's picks for attorney general, the AP reports. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says Mulvaney should withdraw, noting that Republicans have jumped on Democratic cabinet nominees for the same thing. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander," he tells the Times. Supporters of Mulvaney point out that Obama's pick, Tom Daschle, failed to pay nearly 10 times what Mulvaney did. And a Trump administration spokesperson says they stand behind Mulvaney, who "has taken the appropriate follow-up measures." (More Mick Mulvaney stories.)

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