Morning Vid: Homeland Security, Then And Now

One thing you can say for Janet Napolitano: she was never convicted of wire fraud

Commenting on the cleanup efforts in the Gulf Coast and the ongoing pressure placed on BP by the U.S. government, Rachel Maddow reported on Monday that Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano spent her day testifying before the Senate on the government's response. Impressed by Napolitano's active involvement in the ecological disaster, Maddow made a favorable contrast: "Meanwhile, a would-be Homeland Security secretary spent his day reporting to federal prison."

Maddow is of course referring to Bernie Kerik, the Secretary of Homeland Security contender and former Interim Minister of the Interior for Iraq put forward by President Bush in 2004. He withdrew his nomination barely a week later in anticipation of a problematic confirmation battle. Kerik was indicted for multiple charges in 2009 unrelated to his confirmation troubles, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and lying to the IRS. After being sentence to four years in prison in February, Kerik reported for his sentence on Monday.

Maddow drove the comparison home. "Also, the jail that Rudy Guliani tried to name after Bernie Kerick in Lower Manhatten had to be renamed as well. Very awkward."

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