Report: TSA nominee misled Senate panel

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The Transportation Security Administration nominee misled U.S. senators about improperly accessing confidential records years ago, documents indicate.

The documents obtained by The Washington Post said TSA nominee Erroll Southers indicated he accepted responsibility for a "grave error in judgment" 20 years ago when he accessed confidential criminal records about his then-estranged wife's boyfriend, the newspaper reported Friday.

The revelation comes as congressional Democrats press for a quick confirmation of Southers, whose nomination has been blocked by Republicans. Since a failed airline bombing on Christmas, lawmakers have been pressured to put in a permanent chief at TSA, a key agency in enforcing airline security.

The Senate homeland security committee approved Southers' nomination Nov. 19. The next day, the former FBI agent wrote to committee chairman Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking Republican, saying his account during committee hearings about the incident were incorrect. Southers said in the letter he recalled that he conducted two database searches himself, downloaded confidential law enforcement records about his wife's boyfriend and passed information on to a police department employee, the Post said.

Accessing such information without proper cause is a violation of the federal Privacy Act.

A spokeswoman for Lieberman said in a statement the senator "believes that Erroll Southers is an outstanding candidate to lead the TSA. Twenty-two years ago, Mr. Southers committed a serious error in judgment. He admitted that error and was disciplined for it."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would work to maneuver around the GOP block to force consideration of the Southers nomination when the Senate returns to Washington later this month.