Politics | Tom Daschle Daschle Waited to Tell Obama About Tax Glitch HHS nominee knew his taxes needed fixing; didn't know how much By Matt Cantor Posted Feb 1, 2009 11:04 AM CST Copied Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, center, poses with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee members on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Health secretary-designate Tom Daschle didn’t tell the Obama administration that he owed years of back taxes until a month after he’d been nominated, the Washington Post reports. He paid $140,000 in taxes January 2 and told government leaders about it two days later. He had known his taxes needed fixing but didn’t know the “jaw-dropping” amount owed and thought his accountant was dealing with it, a rep said. “The president believes nobody's perfect but that nobody's hiding anything,” said Obama’s press secretary. Meanwhile, a report Daschle submitted to officials shows how without becoming a registered lobbyist, he made $5 million giving speeches and advice to various industries, including $220,000 from health care, prompting concerns that he’s the kind of Washington insider Obama has railed against. Read These Next The death toll in the Texas floods has risen to 27, including 9 kids. A space capsule carrying ashes of 160 people crashed in the ocean. See the best BBQ cities in the US. Iraq's national game of deception brings out the best bluffers. Report an error