Joe Wilson

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham demanded President Barack Obama explain why he hired Bill Daley, a former Boeing Company board member, as his chief of staff and why he named Boeing president James McNerney to lead his Export Council. Graham also asked the president to publicly state if he agrees with his chief of staff’s and Export Council head’s private sector business decisions. If Obama doesn’t publicly state that, Daley’s and McNerney’s actions at Boeing could be viewed as a “violation of the law” if the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) succeeds in its complaints against Boeing according to Graham. Graham added that an NLRB victory would mean Obama hires “union-busters” in his White House.

“In January 2011, Mr. Daley was chosen by President Obama to be his chief of staff,” Graham said. “One would have to assume that the vetters at the White House understood that there was a complaint being filed against Mr. Daley’s actions as a board member [for Boeing] and they had to conclude there was no merit to it.” Graham said the same goes for McNerney’s nomination.

The NLRB is currently pushing a complaint that accuses the Boeing Company of “illegal activity” for opening a new airplane manufacturing facility in South Carolina, instead of opening it in Washington State, where current facilities are. The new facility, which is now completed, is intended to be an addition to Boeing’s existing plant in Washington, and no jobs are set to be lost there. Daley voted in favor of opening the new South Carolina production line when on the board and McNerney led Boeing into the new state.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Graham and fellow GOP Sens. Jim DeMint, South Carolina, Rand Paul, Kentucky and Lamar Alexander, Tennessee, ripped the NLRB and Obama for the policies that they consider to be killing jobs at a Tuesday morning U.S. Chamber of Commerce press conference. Haley said she’d “stand with any other governor nationwide” who goes through what her state’s going through right now, and Graham, DeMint, Paul and Alexander called on Obama to rescind his NLRB recess appointments, Craig Becker and Lafe Solomon.

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