WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for Treasury secretary is becoming a national punchline for late-night comics, a clear sign that not paying your taxes is a growing problem in the public’s eyes if you’re tapped to oversee the IRS.
Obama and many senators involved in confirming Timothy Geithner maintain that concern about his failure to pay $34,000 in taxes isn’t enough to cost him the Treasury job, which includes oversight of the IRS and Obama’s economic recovery plan.
But the delay in Geithner’s confirmation hearing — now scheduled for Wednesday — means more time for the public’s unease with Geithner’s problems to build, a fact he seemed to appreciate Thursday. He continued his courtesy visits to Senate offices to personally answer any questions senators might have about his nomination.
