Southers Withdraws From TSA Nomination

Erroll Southers withdrew his nomination as President Obama's choice to head the Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday, blaming "political ideology" for keeping the key security post in limbo for several months.

“It is clear that my nomination has become a lightning rod for those who have chosen to push a political agenda at the risk of the safety and security of the American people. This partisan climate is unacceptable and I refuse to allow myself to remain part of their dialogue,” Southers said in a statement released by the White House.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved Southers’ nomination last October, but Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., blocked it over concerns that Southers would support the unionization of TSA workers.

More Republicans joined the opposition after the Washington Post reported on Jan. 1 that Southers had given misleading information to the White House and Senate about improperly accessing a federal database for personal information about his ex-wife.

Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV said it was “regrettable” that Southers’ nomination had been lost to “political games.”

Rockefeller called Southers a “skilled law enforcement officer with needed expertise and leadership qualities.” He was confident that President Obama would quickly name a new candidate to head TSA.

According to White House spokesman Nick Shapiro, President Obama “believes that Erroll Southers would have been an excellent TSA administrator but understands his personal decision and the choice he has made.”

The statement also said that acting TSA Administrator Gale Rossides “is very able and we have a solid team of professionals at TSA doing vital national security work to keep us safe.”

Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com.