U.S. Health Secretary nominee Tom Daschle has apologized for errors that prompted him to pay about $140,000 in back taxes.
Daschle said in a letter released Monday, that he was "deeply embarrassed" and would answer any questions that a Senate panel had about his taxes.
He said President Barack Obama's transition team pointed out the errors during a vetting process for the Cabinet position. Daschle said mistakes in his previous three years' returns included taxes on the use of a car service and charitable donations that were filed without proper documentation.
Daschle is scheduled to appear before members of the Senate Finance Committee later Monday. The committee must vote on his nomination before it can be moved to the full Senate.
Daschle is not the first high-profile nominee for Obama's Cabinet to run into trouble with taxes. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's nomination faced criticism for his late payment of $34,000 in taxes, but was eventually confirmed.
News
