[A]nd, as we started discussing it,
he gave me a warning. He said that I was
doing myself real harm for my ”future prospects,” in his words. And by that, he
explained that I had a very harsh tone. I was very critical of Wall Street and
very critical of the Obama Administration as I was carrying out my job as
SIGTARP and providing oversight.
And he warned me that if I didn’t change my tone, it was going to hurt my
ability to get a job after SIGTARP when I left the government, presumably to go
get a job on Wall Street, that I was doing myself real harm. When I explained to
him I wasn’t really interested in that, he then said, ”Well, even within the
administration.” But then if I changed my tone, became a little bit more upbeat
and positive, good things could happen to me. He mentioned even perhaps an Obama
appointment as a -- as a federal judge, if only I would change my tone.
/
I was once told by an IG pointblank that he wished he could do what I was doing,
but he was afraid for his job, that he had kids in college and he had -- he
couldn’t afford to lose his job. And that’s one of the problems. They live in
fear of being fired if they’re too aggressive in carrying out their duties.
/
Geithner was much more dismissive. I didn’t really meet with him all that often.
Maybe a couple of meetings at times is very combative, at times very aggressive,
at times profane.
/
They kept their jobs. They kept their bonuses. They kept their rich compensation
they received prior to their bailouts. They kept -- those bonuses were soon
restored for those executives.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/307720-1
