Second prospective TSA chief withdraws his nomination

President Barack Obama’s second choice to head up the Transportation Security Administration no longer wants to be considered for the job.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Harding announced Friday he would decline the White House’s nod, reportedly out of fear that his history as a defense contractor would have jeopardized his confirmation vote.

{mosads}Harding was the White House’s second nominee to fill the still-vacant TSA post following the withdrawal of Erroll Southers’ nomination earlier this year. Consequently, the White House signaled Friday it was disappointed in the outcome but would move quickly to find another candidate.

“By nominating Gen. Harding, the president tapped an individual with more than 35 years of military and intelligence experience who is dedicated to improving the security of our nation,” White House spokesman Nicholas Shapiro told reporters. “The president is disappointed in this outcome but remains confident in the solid team of professionals at TSA.”

According to reports, Harding, a three-decade Army officer, feared his consulting work for a private defense firm would have alarmed congressional lawmakers.

Notably, his company was forced to return about $1.8 million to the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2008, after investigators found the firm had reaped more money from a terminated Iraq contract than it should have.

“I feel that the distractions caused by my work as a defense contractor would not be good for this administration nor for the Department of Homeland Security,” Harding said in a late-evening statement released by the White House.

Ultimately, Harding’s decision to withdraw out of concern that past incidents would scuttle his nomination echoes the political fate of the White House’s first nominee: Erroll Southers.

In the days following the attempted Christmas Day bombing aboard Flight 253, Southers withdrew his nomination from consideration in the face of stiff Senate opposition.

A number of senators had placed holds on the prospective TSA chief’s confirmation vote, citing his previous misuse of the Los Angeles Police Department’s background check system as evidence he was not qualified for the job. Additionally, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) blocked Southers’ confirmation out of fear the prospective TSA chief would have allowed his workers to unionize.

Still, the loss of both Southers and Harding means the TSA has lacked a top administrator for nearly a year. It could still take the White House and congressional lawmakers a few more months to locate a third nominee and push him or her through the confirmation process.