Security nominee made millions on Tasers

WASHINGTON - Bernard Kerik, nominee for secretary of homeland security, made millions of dollars in stock from a stun gun company that sold weapons to the agency and wants more business. The White House says Kerik will avoid any conflicts of interest.

Records filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show Kerik made $6.2-million by exercising stock options he received from Taser International. He has been a consultant for the company and still serves on its board of directors, although the company and the White House said he planned to sever the relationship.

Taser was one of many companies that received consulting advice from Kerik after he left his job as New York City police commissioner in 2001, when he was earning $150,500 a year.

Partnering with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani or operating independently, Kerik has had business arrangements with manufacturers of prescription drugs, computer software and bulletproof materials, as well as companies selling nuclear power, telephone service, insurance and security advice for Americans working abroad.

Federal ethics rules say executive branch employees should avoid participating in decisions where their impartiality could be questioned, unless they receive approval from an agency ethics official.

Kerik's office said he was not available for comment for this story, but a White House spokesman, Brian Besanceney, said the nominee would avoid any possible conflict of interest.

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