Who will President Elect Obama nominate for Commerce Secretary?
Background: CBS News has confirmed from a Democratic source that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn as the Commerce Secretary designate amid a grand jury investigation. President-elect Barack Obama has accepted that withdrawal. A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a lucrative New Mexico state contract. A person familiar with the proceedings has told The Associated Press that the grand jury is looking into possible “pay-to-play” dealings between CDR Financial Products and someone in a position to push the contract through with the state of New Mexico. Richardson, 61, is one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic politicians. A two-term governor of New Mexico, he boasts an extensive and wide-ranging resume. He was a seven-term congressman with a knack for freelance diplomacy, undertaking unofficial diplomatic missions in such places as North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Iraq. In 2002, Richardson fir
