Bloodthirsty Liberal

I know one way to strip off a coat of whitewash: Hot Air

Vivek Kundra has returned to his post as CIO of the Obama administration. The New York Times reports on both his “quiet” reinstatement and the fact that the White House is finally acknowledging his “youthful indiscrection,” the conviction for theft 12 years ago:

Vivek Kundra, who was on leave from his new appointment by President Obama as the federal government’s chief information officer, has been reinstated, the White House said today. …

The reinstatement comes as word was swirling around the Internet about a youthful arrest of Mr. Kundra for a theft involving something of less than $300 in value. Asked if Mr. Kundra had revealed the arrest during the White House vetting process, officials said they would not discuss the process but pointed out that the reinstatement should speak for itself.

…

Eric Krangel picked up on the “youthful indiscretion” spin, and found out what Kundra did to get arrested in the first place, a topic that apparently didn’t interest the Times:

We’ve been wondering what happened with ‘America’s CIO’ Vivek Kundra’s 1997 misdemeanor theft conviction, the one the White House dismissed as “youthful indiscretion.”

Now we know: Vivek shopflited four shirts, worth $134 combined. From J.C. Penney.

At an average of $33.50 a pop, they weren’t even nice shirts, even in 1996 dollars. (The crime was 1996, the conviction 1997.)

And then, when Vivek got caught, he ran for it. He didn’t get away.

Krangel rightly credits the AP for getting the details, although the AP also didn’t note that Hot Air was the first to report the conviction — but the AP has a long history of failing to credit people.

Shirts! I should have known! (I guessed tooth whitening strips or hair gel.) Men and their shirts—it’s like women and handbags.

Sharp. I bet the tie’s not even a clip-on. But would it have killed him to wear an American flag pin (sore subject as it is)?

Look, the guy’s a boy scout compared to some of those working in the Obama administration, so I say bygones. But why not come out and explain from the beginning that their Information Czar is a gonnif?

It’s not like we can’t relate. I swiped a Milky Way bar once in my wayward youth. What’s a 1968 nickel worth in today’s, er, dollars? I’d like to make restitution so I can work for President Obama after he’s asked and been turned down by everyone else.