Caroline...what's the deal? Taxes really?

All Things Considered, January 22, 2009 · Caroline Kennedy's decision to remove herself from consideration to fill New York's vacant U.S. Senate seat leaves a full field of contenders for the job.

The New York Times is reporting that problems involving taxes and a household employee surfaced during Kennedy's vetting process.

Nicholas Confessore, a reporter with The New York Times, says accounts vary as to why Kennedy withdrew.

"You have the governor's camp and Caroline's camp offering similar, but importantly different accounts of exactly what went down," he says.

According to Confessore, Gov. David Paterson's side said issues about Kennedy's household employees and possible tax matters prevented him from picking her. Kennedy's people, meanwhile, say Paterson had known about the issues for weeks and she withdrew because for personal reasons.

Confessore says Kirsten Gillibrand, Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney, Thomas Suozzi and others are on Paterson's short list, noting that the governor has mentioned each of them favorably in recent days.

A decision is expected Friday.



Just because I liked the photo.