WASHINGTON - Mary Jo White, the former New York federal prosecutor nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, may face questions Tuesday about her role in upholding key findings of the NFL's investigation of the so-called Bountygate involving the New Orleans Saints. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is planning to ask White about her findings...
WASHINGTON - Mary Jo White, the former New York federal prosecutor nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, may face questions Tuesday about her role in upholding key findings of the NFL's investigation of the so-called Bountygate involving the New Orleans Saints.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is planning to ask White about her findings in 2012 after she was hired by the NFL to evaluate its investigation of allegations that Saints players were offered bonuses for hard hits that forced an opposing player to leave a game. Tuesday's Senate Banking Committee hearing, though, is only two hours and it's not certain Vitter will get a turn at questioning White, who is expected to win Senate confirmation.
In May 2012, White was asked whether any players were actually paid for hits and she said they were, although she declined to provide specifics. She said most of the money was provided by players.
She also expressed support for the tough sanctions imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, including a season long ban in 2012 for Saints Coach Sean Payton and full or partial season suspension for four current and former Saints players.
Mary Jo White faces possible questions about her support for NFL's Bountygate probe.
In December, 2012, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who heard the players' appeals, vacated their suspensions, saying coaches were primarily responsible for Bountygate.
Seven months earlier, White, appointed by the league to evaluate its Bountygate problem, upheld most of the findings of wrongdoing by the Saints.
"The factual basis for the sanctions is strong in my opinion," White said during the May conference call with reporters."
White also said that Anthony Hargrove, a Saints defensive lineman, was shown saying, "Bobby, give me my money," after it was believed he had knocked Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship game in January 2010. But later, Goodell cast doubt on the allegation, saying "I am prepared to assume - as he apparently stated publicly - that he did not" make the "give me my money" statement.
Vitter said he's troubled by White's findings.
"If Mary Jo's work on the SEC is anything close to her botched work for the NFL, folks who want to protect their investments, like the victims of the Stanford Ponzi scheme, are in trouble," Vitter said. He was alluding to the many investors from Louisiana and elsewhere who lost millions of dollars from their investments with Allen Stanford, who is now serving a 110-year sentence for fraud. The SEC has acknowledged it took too long to investigate Stanford.
Despite Vitter's concerns, White is likely to win Senate confirmation, though some Democrats may question whether her ties to major Wall Street investment firms will stop her from the aggressive oversight of financial firms needed in light of the 2008 financial crisis.
Her supporters say that as
a federal prosecutor in
"You don't want to mess with Mary Jo," President Obama said in nominating her to replace Mary Shapiro as head of the SEC.