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 Mid Actor Sam Rockwell gets residuals from movie he wasn't in. The Bezos-Sanchez wedding: guest list, cost, the dress, and more. That 'buy now, pay later' loan may soon hit your credit score. Report an error