Here We Go Again? Solis Nomination Held Up After Husband's Tax Problem Revealed

Another day, another Obama pick dealing with a tax mess. This time it's the president's choice for labor secretary, Hilda Solis. The Senate committee considering her nomination was abruptly scrapped today after the revelation that yesterday her husband paid over $6000 to settle tax liens against his business. The liens had been outstanding for 16 years.

USA Today broke the story:

Los Angeles County records showed 15 outstanding state and county tax liens against (Sam) Sayyad and his auto repair business, totaling $7,630. Two other liens worth $981 were released in 1999 after Sayyad repaid the taxes owed, according to county records.

Solis' financial disclosures list Sayyad's business, Sam's Foreign and Domestic Auto Center, as one of the couple's main assets, worth between $50,000 and $100,000. The disclosure form Solis filed after her nomination also lists bank accounts containing between $250,000 and $500,000.

Solis and Sayyad were unaware of the liens until USA TODAY asked about them Tuesday, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said. He said Sayyad paid about $6,400 to Los Angeles County on Wednesday to settle the liens, but he plans to appeal.

The Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee said it needs time to review all the facts and hasn't set a new date for reconvening.

Solis isn't speaking but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "We're not going to penalize her for her husband's business mistakes." We'll see....