Top Senate Republican opposes Obama labor nominee Perez

By Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate's top Republican on Wednesday came out strongly against President Barack Obama's nominee for labor secretary, accusing Thomas Perez of being a crusading ideologue who would bend the laws to advance his agenda.

Perez's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate and the speech from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggests that Republicans will throw up procedural hurdles to prevent him from serving as the Obama administration's next labor secretary.

"Unbound by the rules that apply to everyone else, Mr. Perez seems to view himself as free to employ whatever means at his disposal, legal or otherwise, to achieve his ideological goals," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Perez, 51, is currently head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and has worked on civil rights issues in a series of government positions during his career.

McConnell's speech was designed to rally his members to oppose the nomination, and it provides cover for other Republicans who may be thinking about opposing Obama's pick, said George Washington University's Sarah Binder, an expert on Congress.

"I think it matters that it is Mitch McConnell here, laying the marker down on why he's opposing the nominee," Binder said.

The Oversight Committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives also has issues with Perez and has subpoenaed private emails he used to conduct government business.

Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings joined Republicans on Wednesday in asking Perez to turn over the documents. A spokeswoman for Cummings was not immediately available to explain the lawmaker's reasons.

LATINO SUCCESS STORY

Obama has described Perez's career as exemplifying the American success story. Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, helped pay for college by working as a garbage collector and in a warehouse.

The nomination was championed by Hispanic groups, which have pushed for more representation in the Cabinet.

As labor secretary, he would have a key role in Obama's efforts to raise the minimum wage and overhaul immigration laws.

Republicans allege that Perez entered into a quid pro quo deal with St. Paul, Minnesota, in which he got the city to withdraw a Supreme Court appeal in exchange for the department not filing charges alleging St. Paul had filed false claims in a government funding application.

Perez denies the allegation.

On Wednesday, Republican Senator Marco Rubio - a Hispanic often touted as a potential presidential candidate in 2016 - also said he thought Perez would be a "disastrous" choice.

"Many Americans, especially those of us of Hispanic descent, celebrate his success and his personal story," Rubio said in a statement. "Unfortunately, intellect and work ethic are not sufficient qualifications for a cabinet secretary."

SECOND DELAY FOR VOTE

The Senate Health and Labor Committee had been scheduled to vote on Perez's nomination on Wednesday. But Republicans invoked an obscure rule that prevents committees from meeting when the Senate is in session.

The committee is expected to hold the vote on May 16, marking the second time the panel has had to reschedule the vote due to Republican maneuvers. Although Obama's Democrats control the Senate 55-45, they would need 60 votes to clear a procedural roadblock.

The Health and Labor Committee chairman, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, said he has given Republicans ample time to vet Perez and said his colleagues were now delaying the vote for "delay's sake."

The White House accused Republicans of "politicizing" the nomination but brushed off concerns Perez would be blocked.

"He's enormously qualified and there has not been a case made that is not political and partisan against his nomination, and we hope and expect the Senate will move forward," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

Two of Obama's other Cabinet picks, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, had tough confirmations but eventually succeeded.

Obama has had a difficult time getting Senate approval for his Cabinet choices compared to his predecessors, Binder said. Previous presidents have rarely had to meet a 60-vote threshold to secure a confirmation, whereas Republicans have made that "the new norm" for Obama.

"There's no doubt that many nominations are killed by being drawn out and wearing down the nominee," Binder said, explaining that the longer the delay until a vote, the more time opposition can "fester and grow."

(Reporting by Rachelle Younglai and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Eric Walsh and Eric Beech)

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Labor Sec. Nominee Faces Harsh GOP Scrutiny

Secretary of Labor nominee Thomas Perez faced two hours of intense scrutiny at his nomination hearing Thursday morning as he sought to alleviate Republican concerns over his role in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

At issue is a lengthy report released earlier this week in which GOP leaders accuse Perez of attempting to influence the city of St. Paul, Minn., to withdraw a housing discrimination case before it could be brought before the Supreme Court. In exchange, the Department of Justice agreed not to intervene in two whistleblower cases against St. Paul that could have won up to $200 million for taxpayers.

Sen. Lamar Alexander engaged Perez in a heated line of questioning, accusing Perez of doing "an extraordinary amount of wheeling and dealing."

"You have a duty to protect the money, a duty to protect the whistleblower, and at the same time, it seems to me that you're manipulating the legal process to try to get the result you want from the Supreme Court in a way that's inappropriate," Alexander, R-Tenn., said.

Perez defended his actions, saying DOJ chooses not to stay out of "a lot of different things."

"It was in the interest of justice and it was entirely appropriate to do so in the opinion of professional responsibility people and others," he told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "I believe the resolution reached in this case was in fact in the interest of justice."

Democratic senators had kind words for Perez. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced him as "one of Maryland's favorite sons," saying "we believe he is the right man for the job."

Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., joined in the praise, adding "you have a very amazing, impressive, wide range of experience that you are bringing from a number of different agencies…You're something of a turn-around expert for public sector agencies, so thank you for that."

When asked what his very top priority would be should he be confirmed as Secretary of Labor, Perez had one answer: "jobs, jobs, jobs."

He expanded on his goals and priorities, including reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, maintaining pension security, and spending his first 100 days as secretary on a listening tour of America, reaching out to small businesses and workers alike.

"The president has asked all of us to consider three questions in the decisions we make," Perez said. "How do we make America a magnet for jobs? How do we equip our people with the skills they need to succeed in those jobs, and how do we ensure that an honest day's work leads to a decent living?"

Perez concluded, "These questions are at the core of the mission of the Department of Labor, and if confirmed you have my word that I will keep them there."

The committee is expected to vote on Perez's nomination on Thursday, April 25.

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African sentenced to 11 years in child labor case

DETROIT (AP) — A former tennis pro accused of fraudulently bringing four children from the African nation of Togo to the U.S. and forcing them to work as slaves in his Michigan home was sentenced Monday to more than 11 years in federal prison.

Jean-Claude Toviave, who didn't apologize when provided the opportunity to speak at his sentencing hearing in Detroit, also was ordered to pay two of the children $60,000 each.

Prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow to sentence Toviave to the maximum sentence within the guidelines, and he did, handing down a 135-month sentence, with credit for about two years of time served.

"I can't get a read on you," Tarnow told Toviave. "I can't tell if you understand what you did was really wrong."

The four children emigrated from Togo in 2006 with fraudulent immigration paperwork that listed them as being Toviave's biological children, which they are not. He enrolled some of them in middle school when they arrived. They now range in age from teenagers to young adults.

The victims said Toviave beat them with toilet plungers, broomsticks and electrical cords and starved them if they didn't follow his orders. They were forced to vacuum, iron, cook, clean and shine shoes at the home in Ypsilanti, near Ann Arbor, for nearly five years until January 2011.

In a court filing, prosecutors said the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Toviave, who was a tennis pro in Togo until 1990, "savagely" beat the children if their chores weren't finished or completed to his satisfaction.

One victim said he suffered permanent damage to his vision and persistent headaches tied to an episode in which Toviave kicked him and punched him in the face.

Two of the victims were in the courtroom during sentencing, but declined to speak.

Victim statements were entered into the record, however, and one was read aloud by a representative.

"The physical torture, beating me and starving me, you inflicted was so painful that I prayed at night that God would either help me to be free or allow your assaults to kill me," wrote the unnamed victim. "The pain is something I will never forget. In the midst of your verbal and physical assaults, you worked the four of us to death."

The victim wrote that although Toviave's actions made it so that he "can no longer trust anyone" and he wakes "from nightmares on a regular basis that involve me being back under your care," he participates in several sports at his school, is president of the student council and has vowed to become a doctor one day.

"My future is very exciting," the victim wrote.

When given the chance to speak before sentencing, Toviave recounted traveling to Ghana in 2007 to visit his sick mother. After the hearing had ended, Toviave asked Tarnow if he could say something else. Tarnow said OK, but Toviave then decided against it.

A jury convicted Toviave of four counts of forced labor in October. He previously pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, mail fraud and harboring aliens.

Along with restitution, Tarnow ordered Toviave to pay $7,200 to two victims to be used toward counseling, but both the judge and defense lawyer Randall Roberts, who called his client "penniless," said it seemed unlikely Toviave would be able to come up with the money.

Roberts, who asked Tarnow to sentence Toviave to four years, said the judge's sentence "was as tough as it comes."

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PM Note: Gay Marriage Sea Change, Ten Years After Iraq Invasion, Obama's Labor Nominee Scrutinized, GOP's 2012 Autopsy

History Channel Says Satan, Obama Resemblance Unintentional - http://abcn.ws/YCRh2B

Tomorrow: Ten years after the Iraq invasion and at a time when the war has largely disappeared from the political discussion we'll retweet the war from start to finish with archive video and analysis. Follow us at @abcpolitics.

Flashback: 'Go Time' - Here's Nightline from 3/19/2003 http://abcn.ws/16FjbTc

Ten Years Later… Watch Bob Woodruff and Martha Raddatz in 2013 - http://abcn.ws/YCjV3K

Sea Change - 58 percent of Americans support gay marriage, according to a new ABC News / Washington Post Poll. That's a remarkable turnaround. Thirty-two percent backed gay marriage 9 years ago when the issue was credited with hurting John Kerry's chances at the White House. 81 percent of people under 30 and 44 percent of seniors (24 and 26 percent changes in nine years) say same-sex marriage should not be illegal. http://abcn.ws/15W9UEM

Hillary Clinton - Two steps behind Republican Sen. Rob Portman and a week before the Supreme Court hears arguments, the most mentioned likely Democratic candidate in 2016 endorsed gay marriage. http://abcn.ws/WRzOt2

Perspective Nugget - "Recalling of course that President Obama was against gay marriage until 11 months ago… that the first GOP senator to flip did so on Friday… and Hillary Clinton didn't change her position until today, shortly after her husband renounced support for the Defense of Marriage Act - this is society pushing politicians, not the other way around," said ABC Political Director Rick Klein.

"The story of how gay marriage became accepted by a wide majority of Americans is cultural (TV and movies leading the way)and societal (friends and neighbors) far more than it is political.

'Different Instead of Somebody Being Wrong' - Chris Good talked to some of the respondents in the poll on all sides of the issue: For Mark Uhron, it was his clients' financial entanglements that led to a change of heart on gay marriage. "I'm dealing with a lot of clients now who have partners and don't know if benefits are going to get extended to them. It complicates their whole financial picture," Uhron, a white, Catholic, conservative Republican and financial adviser in Vienna, Va., told ABC News.

"I just think that it should be a state decision," said Uhron, a Navy veteran who knew of service members discharged for being gay before the military instated its since-repealed "don't ask, don't tell" policy. "I suppose same-sex couples have every right to be as miserable as the rest of us, so why shouldn't they be allowed to get married?" http://abcn.ws/ZEEjnl (Chris Good)

President Obama Nominates Perez to Be Labor Secretary- President Obama today nominated Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez to be the next secretary of labor, calling him a "consensus-builder" who "reminds us of this country's promise." Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, has been an assistant U.S. attorney general for the Civil Rights Division since 2009. Before that, he served as secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor. http://abcn.ws/WyRb0s (Mary Bruce)

Perez Isn't Without Controversy - From Fusion's Fabian - "But Perez could encounter a tough grilling from Republican senators, who have painted him as too liberal on issues regarding immigration, voting rights and labor laws. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) vowed he would block Perez's nomination until the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) answers more questions about a lawsuit filed against Louisiana that alleges state agencies violated federal law by not providing voter registration forms to low-income voters. As head of the Justice Department's civil rights division since October 2009, Perez oversaw the Louisiana case. Vitter also questioned Perez's role in the controversial New Black Panther voter intimidation case. " http://abcn.ws/YkEsxN

RNC Autopsy - "Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren't inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; our primary and debate process needed improvement," Priebus said of Mitt Romney and the GOP's 2012 loss. "There's no one solution. There's a long list of them,

In conclusion, Priebus had a message for voters: "To those who have left the party, let me say this, we want to earn your trust again, to those who have yet to trust us, we welcome you with open arms." Here's the full roundup from Shush Walshe - http://abcn.ws/YmCGJm

GOP Rebrand vs. Perez Nomination - Fusion's Jordan Fabian points out - "Perez's nomination came on the same day as a report commissioned by the Republican National Committee urged GOPers to take a less strident tone on the issue of immigration reform. But some senators, such as Sessions, appear committed to bringing up the issue during the confirmation process.

'"We need a Secretary of Labor who fights to create jobs for American workers, not one that undermines legal work requirements," he said. "It is plain that if the policies of Mr. Perez were to be enacted, jobs for Americans would be harder to come by and wages lower. He is the wrong man for this job." http://abcn.ws/YkEsxN

Biden Jokes 'I'll Lose My Soul' If He Misses Cardinal Reception - Vice President Joe Biden joked today that his soul might be in jeopardy if he misses a scheduled reception with the U.S. Cardinals in Rome. http://abcn.ws/Wzl67z(Arlette Saenz)

White House Tourgate Cont'd - The Sad Little Kids - Jon Karl catches up with Iowa 6th graders who came to DC anticipating a White House tour, only to be nixed by budget cuts. http://yhoo.it/16E4iAs

Love In The Time of CPAC (+ the weekend's worst pick-up lines) from Chris Good - http://abcn.ws/1324niv

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President Obama Nominates Perez to Be Labor Secretary

WASHINGTON - President Obama today nominated Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez to be the next secretary of labor, calling him a "consensus-builder" who "reminds us of this country's promise."

Announcing his nomination in the East Room of the White House, Obama said Perez embodies the notion that "if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what your last name is - you can make it if you try."

"Tom has made protecting that promise - for everybody - the cause of his life," he said.

Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, has been an assistant U.S. attorney general for the Civil Rights Division since 2009. Before that, he served as secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor.

"While he's tackled plenty of tough issues, Tom has also spent a career as a consensus-builder. He's worked with CEOs, he's worked with labor leaders. He's worked at federal, state, and local government levels. And throughout, he understands that our economy works best when the middle class and those working to get into the middle class have the security they need on the job, a democratic voice in the workplace, everybody playing by the same set of rules," Obama said.

If confirmed, Perez, who addressed the audience in English and Spanish, would lead the agency at a critical time, as the administration pushes for immigration reform and a higher minimum wage, among other initiatives.

"My parents taught my four siblings and me to work hard, to give back to our community, and to make sure that the ladder of opportunity was there for those coming after us," Perez said in brief remarks.

"Over my career, I've learned that true progress is possible if you keep an open mind, listen to all sides, and focus on results," he said. "I look forward to taking these lessons with me, if confirmed, to my new role as secretary of the Department of Labor."

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