Johnson resigns from Obama vetting team
WASHINGTON (AP) - June 11, 2008 Jim Johnson's resignation came a day after Obama defended
Johnson and dismissed the Republican criticism of him.
"I am not vetting my V.P. search committee for their
mortgages," Obama said Tuesday.
He accepted Johnson's resignation on Wednesday, leaving the
search at least temporarily in the hands of two other prominent
Democratic attorneys who also had been scouting candidates - former
Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy.
"Jim did not want to distract in any way from the very
important task of gathering information about my vice presidential
nominee, so he has made a decision to step aside that I accept,"
Obama said. "We have a very good selection process under way, and
I am confident that it will produce a number of highly qualified
candidates for me to choose from in the weeks ahead."
Johnson, the former chairman of mortgage lender Fannie Mae, came
under fire from GOP candidate John McCain and the Republican Party
after The Wall Street Journal reported last Saturday that Johnson
got mortgages with help from the CEO of Countrywide Financial Corp.
McCain had accused Obama of hypocrisy for speaking out against
Countrywide's role in the subprime mortgage crisis.
Obama's campaign declined to say whether he would replace
Johnson, who also led the vice presidential search effort for
Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984.
Obama said he was grateful for Johnson's service.
Johnson's resignation may allow Obama to move ahead with the
search process without the criticism surrounding him, but it also
could make it appear that the campaign quickly caved under
pressure. The resignation touched off a series of accusations
between the two campaigns about which candidate has more tainted
advisers and better judgment about who to surround himself with.
Obama's campaign has had varying responses when controversy has
focused on those around him. Foreign policy adviser Samantha Power
left within hours of calling Hillary Rodham Clinton a "monster."
Obama was initially reluctant to disavow his pastor, Jeremiah
Wright, after video of racially explosive sermons emerged. And he
kept leading economic adviser Austan Goolsbee on board amid
controversy surrounding his private comments on free trade.
At least five McCain staffers have left his campaign after a
Democratic uproar over McCain's connections to lobbyists. McCain
responded by banning registered lobbyists serving his campaign but
has defended two of his top advisers - Rick Davis and Charlie Black
- who left their lobbying jobs to work for his presidential bid.
Johnson and Holder held meetings this week with lawmakers on
Capitol Hill to seek their input on possible running mate
candidates.
Obama said Tuesday that Johnson had a "discrete task" and was
performing it well. He suggested the Countrywide connection was not
a problem since Johnson was an unpaid volunteer and hadn't been
assigned to work in a future administration.
Kerry, a prominent Obama supporter, told reporters earlier
Wednesday that Johnson had done an outstanding job of gathering
information for him four years ago and keeping it private. He
declined to say whether he'd recommended that Obama keep Johnson on
amid the controversy.
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