Intrepid Museum Head Bill White Under Investigation Over State Pension Fund

Yesterday Bill White abruptly resigned after 20 years as the openly gay head of NYC's Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum. Today the New York Post reveals that White has been under investigation since 2007 in a corruption probe of the state pension fund.

The probers were trying to determine if he solicited campaign contributions for disgraced ex-state Comptroller Alan Hevesi from Guggenheim Advisors, a branch of the Bank of Ireland, in exchange for the right to manage $447 million in state pension funds. Cuomo last year subpoenaed dozens of companies, including Bill White & Associates, that acted as middlemen and received fees for arranging access to pension-fund monies. White's firm received a $2 million fee from City Investment Fund LP, a real-estate firm that was chosen to invest pension funds. Late last year, Cuomo, who plans to run for governor, returned a $1,000 contribution from White.

Former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned amidst a massive corruption scandal in late 2006. He plead guilty to defrauding the government and was banned from ever holding elective office again.

William White Quits Intrepid Museum

William White, the openly gay president of NYC's massive Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, abruptly quit today after 20 years on the job. And nobody is saying why.

Mr. White quit his positions at the floating museum on the Hudson and the foundation that operates it, as well as his roles with two charitable organizations that raise money to help injured servicemen — the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Intrepid Relief Fund. The resignation occurred at a meeting of the foundation’s board just days before Fleet Week, the annual influx of sailors that centers on the Intrepid. Neither the foundation’s spokesman, Howard J. Rubenstein, nor a spokesman for Mr. White would explain what had led to his departure after 20 years at the Intrepid. Mr. White could not immediately be reached for comment by phone or e-mail.

In December 2008 White was a contender for appointment to Secretary of the Navy. More recently he made the news for his campaign to have a retired space shuttle installed as part of the Intrepid's permanent Manhattan collection.

Call To Appoint Openly Gay William White As Secretary Of The Navy Grows Louder

Equal Rep, a grassroots group founded by Join The Impact co-founder Paul Sousa, is calling for support in their bid to get Barack Obama to nominate William White as the first openly gay Secretary of the Navy.

In a short amount of time, White has already earned some impressive endorsements. Retired general Hugh Shelton, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said White "would be phenomenal." He added that White's extensive background as a fund-raiser for veterans' and military causes would be helpful in the job. Congressman Jerrold Nadler said White is "very capable" on the basis of observing his work at the Intrepid, located on the Hudson River, which is in Nadler's district. Nadler added that White has been a friend of service members and their families through his work with the museum and philanthropic efforts, according to The Washington Times.

"With the whole Rick Warren fiasco ensuing and the fact that gay Americans were completely shut out of Obama's cabinet, this is the perfect opportunity for our President-elect to show gay Americans they have not been forgotten and he truly is committed to equal representation." said Paul Sousa, Equal Rep founder. "William White is not only the most qualified candidate, but appointing him would also send a strong message that change is coming and the antiquated, discriminatory policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be repealed soon."

The vile Elaine Donnelly of the Center For Military Readiness allows that William White has done "admirable good work" in raising millions of dollars for the temporary housing and support of the families of injured soldiers. She also concedes that there is no law against civilian homosexuals working for the Pentagon and that White would not be the first Naval Secretary without prior military experience. But then she reverts to form and raises the straw man of predatory homos in the showers:

Civilian service secretaries do not have to live in the same conditions of what the law describes as “forced intimacy” offering little or no privacy. Congress should protect the interests of surface sailors, Navy SEALS, and submariners who do accept these living conditions, and not pass legislation that would make military life even more difficult. But instead of considering the harmful consequences of repealing the 1993 law, Mr. White’s perceived status as a “poster man” for the cause of gays in the military would distract attention from the serious consequences of repealing the 1993 law. Such an appointment would call into question the judgment of President Obama, the next Commander-in-Chief. Despite his personal views, President Obama should put the needs of the military above the demands of homosexualists who want to use government power to impose their agenda on military men and women.

Donnelly goes on to predict that White's appointment would not only hasten the end of DADT (hooray!) but that its repeal would "increase threefold" the number of sexual harassment incidents in the military. (Donnelly points to her ass as the source of that statistic.)

The Facebook action page for William White is here.

Gay Man Backed For Secretary Of Navy

Openly gay William White, currently the CEO of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, is being pitched to Barack Obama's transition team as the right choice for Secretary of the Navy.

Some top retired military leaders and some Democrats in Congress are backing William White, chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, to be the next secretary of the Navy - a move that would put the first openly gay person at the top of one of the services. The secretary's job is a civilian position, so it would not run afoul of the ban on gays serving in the military, but it would renew focus on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.

"He would be phenomenal," said retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001, pointing to Mr. White's extensive background as a fundraiser for veterans' and military causes. Retired members of the Joint Chiefs have contacted Mr. Obama's transition team to urge them to pick Mr. White, and members of Congress said he would be a good choice for a service secretary.

As the story notes, the job is a civilian post, but White's selection would certainly ramp up the call for an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."