IRS controversy puts White House counsel in spotlight
White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler has received little media attention since she replaced Bob Bauer in 2011, but that changed last week.
Ruemmler was in the spotlight because of revelations that she was aware of a draft report indicating the Internal Revenue Service had targeted conservative groups. According to White House officials, she decided not to alert the president, the New York Times reports.
“Suddenly Ms. Ruemmler, a 42-year-old former prosecutor of white-collar crimes who is as influential with President Obama as she is obscure beyond his circle, was being introduced to the nation under a cloud of questions about her role and, worse, her judgment,” the story says.
The Times notes two recent successes, however. Last week the Senate approved federal appeals court nominee Sri Srinivasan, whom she had recommended for the spot. And she had helped craft Obama’s speech last week calling for limited use of drones and a scaling back of the war on terrorism.
She also helped write some of the legal arguments in the administration’s successful defense of its new health care law, the story says.
Hat tip How Appealing.
