Updated March 17, 2009
White House Information Officer Committed Petty Theft 12 Years Ago
FOXNews.com
Vivek Kundra, the now-suspended White House aide responsible for directing policy and planning for federal IT spending, pleaded guilty to a petty theft charge 12 years ago.
Troubles for the man in charge of federal spending and policy on information technology continue to be revealed.
According to Maryland state records, Vivek Kundra, the White House chief information officer who took leave last Thursday -- one week after being named to the position, pleaded guilty to a petty theft charge 12 years ago.
Kundra, who was formerly the D.C. technology officer, received supervised probation before judgment in 1997 for pleading guilty to a theft of less than $300. He was also fined $500, which was lowered to $100 after the rest was suspended.
Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman, declined to comment on the newest revelation.
Kundra left his post last week after the FBI raided his former office and arrested a District of Columbia employee and a technology consultant who were later arraigned on bribery and corruption charges.
The White House said it was notified in advance of the search at Kundra's former digs. While the raid was happening at his old office, Kundra was giving a speech elsewhere on his new goals for government contracting.
Kundra was not a target of the D.C. investigation, a source told FOX News.
But this latest revelation raises more questions about the White House vetting process, which has failed to expose embarrassing problems that have torpedoed several nominees. Among them was former Sen. Tom Daschle, who withdrew his nomination to be secretary of health and human services after it was learned he owed $146,000 in unpaid taxes and penalties.
Unlike Daschle's would-be Cabinet seat, Kundra's post is not subject to Senate confirmation.
Latest Politics Video
Most Active In Politics
Most Read
Most Commented
-
Reid Compares Opponents of Health Care Reform to Supporters of Slavery
December 07, 2009 1,529 comments
-
Gibbs Scrawls Grocery List on Hand in Jab at Palin
February 09, 2010 1,530 comments
-
Brown Scores Upset Victory Over Coakley in Massachusetts Senate Race
January 20, 2010 1,186 comments
-
Palin to Join Fox News as Contributor
January 11, 2010 1,147 comments
-
House Passes Health Care Bill
November 08, 2009 1,138 comments
Real Clear Politics Poll
| Job Approval | Approve | Disapprove | Spread |
| Obama | 48.0% | 46.4% | +1.6% |
| Congress | 23.0% | 70.3% | -47.3% |
| Direction of Country | Right Direction | Wrong Track | Spread |
| RCP Average | 35.3% | 58.2% | -22.9% |
-
Obama, Republicans Seek Accord
February 10, 2010
-
Union-Backed Nominee Blocked in Senate
February 09, 2010
-
Gridlock in Senate Fuels Frustration
February 09, 2010
-
Washington Builds a Snow Mountain
February 10, 2010
-
Reid Hopes to Complete Jobs Bill This Week
February 09, 2010
-
Fed's Bernanke Outlines Steps to Pull Back on Stimulus Plan
February 10, 2010
-
One in Five Mortgages 'Underwater" in 4Q
February 10, 2010
-
Trade Gap Widened By More Than Expected in December
February 10, 2010
-
Home Loan Demand Drops Despite Dip in Rates
February 10, 2010
-
Euro Zone Holds Intensive Talks About Greek Rescue
February 10, 2010
-
It's usually not this clean
February 10, 2010
-
But the benefits are great
February 10, 2010
-
The miracle of forgiveness
February 10, 2010
-
Narrative Preaching 2
February 10, 2010
-
Diplomacy on a snow day
February 09, 2010



recommend

Subscribe to Comments







