Would-be Treasury secretary and New York Fed president Tim Geithner will have his confirmation hearing today, during which we can expect lawmakers to grill him over his nonpayment of $34,000 in Social Security and Medicare taxes as well as his role in some of the Bush administration’s more controversial decisions, like letting Lehman Brothers fail while rescuing AIG, and injecting billions into the now barely sentient banking beast, Citigroup. But unless he bursts into sudden Tourette’s on the stand, it’s doubtful Geithner’s confirmation will get held up, since everyone is more than ready to get this fixing-the-economy-thing done, and it’s better to have a tax-evading Wall Street pawn at the helm than no one at all. As Olympia Snowe, a Republican senator from Maine told the Journal, while Mr. Geithner’s tax problems are “obviously troubling,” they probably won’t get in his way.
“It doesn’t mean to say that it doesn’t bother senators, but these are monumental challenges, and I don’t think it would preclude his nomination, at this point,” she said.
Wait until they find out that Geithner and his wife, Carole (at right), are actually related.
Just kidding! They’re just one of those couples that look alike. Er, right?
Tax Issue Won’t Derail Geithner [WSJ]
Wait until they find out that Geithner and his wife, Carole (at right), are actually related.
Just kidding! They’re just one of those couples that look alike. Er, right?
